THE  SONG  OP  THE  "NO.  9.^^ 


My  dress  is  of  fine  polished  oak, 
As  rich  as  the  finest  fur  cloak, 
And  for  handsome  design 
You  lust  should  see  mine- 
No.  9,  No.  9. 

I'm  beloved  by  the  poor  and  the  rich, 
For  both  I  impartially  stitch; 
In  the  cabin  I  shine, 
la  the  mansion  I'm  fine- 
No.  9,  No.  9. 


I  neve?  get  surly  nor  tired, 
With  zeal  I  always  am  fired ; 
To  haiiJ  work  I  incline, 
For  rest  I  ne'er  pine- 
No.  9,  No.  9. 

I  am  easily  purchased  by  all, 
"With  installments  that  monthly  do  fall, 
And  when  I  am  thine, 
Then  life  is  benign- 
No.  9,  No.  9. 


To  the  Paris  Exposition  I  went, 
Upon  getting  the  Grand  Prize  intent; 
I  left  all  behind, 
The  Grand  Prize  was  mine- 
No.  9,  No.  9. 

AttheTJniversal  Exposition  of  1889,  at  Paris,  France,  the  best  sewing  machines 
of  the  world,  including  those  of  America,  were  in  competition.  They  were  passed 
upon  by  a  jury  composed  of  the  best  foreign  meciianical  experts,  two  of  whom 
were  the  leading  sewing  machine  manufacturers  of  France.  This  jury,  after  ex- 
haastive  examination  and  tests,  adjudged  that  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  machines 
were  the  best  of  all,  and  awarded  that  company  the  highest  prize  offered— the 
GRAND  PRIZE— givingr  other  comijanies  only  gold,  silver  and  bronze  medals. 

The  French  government,  as  a  further  recognition  of  superiority,  decorated 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Wheeler,  president  of  the  company,  with  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor — the  most  prized  honor  of  France. 

The  No.  9,  for  family  use,  and  the  No.  13,  for  manufacturing  uses,  are  the  best 
in  the  world  to  day. 

And  now,  when  you  want  a  sevnng  machine,  if  you  do  not  get  the  best  it  will 
be  your  own  fault. 

Ask  your  sewing  macbine  dealer  for  the  No.  9  Wheeler  &  Wilson  machine. 
If  he  doesn't  keep  them,  write  to  us  for  descriptive  catalogue  and  terms.  Agents 
wanted  in  all  unoccupied  territory.  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Mfg.  Co,,  Chicago,  III. 

MygB  lALESHiM  ~ 

i^  Energetic  men  to  sell  onr 
Honest  Gentile  Clothing  for  men  and 
young  men.  No  better  specialties  sewed 
together.  Experience  not  necessary.  Large  sal- 
aries made.  Steady  employment.  Write  for  book 
of  cloth  samples,  measurement  blanks,  fashion 
t  Jate,  free  upon  receipt  of  6  cents  postage. 
Mdress,     gp,  l.  huNTLEY  &  CO.. 

WHOLESALE  TAiLORS, 

P.  O,  Drawer  667,  Chicago,  111. 


tie 


CANVASSERS  WANTED. 

STlFPandRIGlD  CORSETS 

Are  being  discarded  for  the  more 
Comfortable  and  Healthful 

Jackson  Corset  Waists 

Approved  by  Physicians,  endorsed  by 

Dressmakers,   recommended   by 

every  Lady  that  has  worn  them. 

MADE  ONLT  BY 


JACKSON,  MICH. 


Th©  Pinkerton  Detective  Series. 

IK  Issuing  these  Detective  Novels,  the  publishers  have  been  careful  to  put  out 
the  best  of  the  kind.  Every  book  Is  a  complete  exposition  of  soma  real 
crime,  which  has  been  traced  to  the  guilty  person  or  conspirators  by  some 
eminent  member  of  the  secret  service.  These  stories,  having  facts  for  a 
foundation,  are  written  in  a  fascinating  manner,  free  from  all  improbabi"=ties  or 
mythical  romances,  but  tell  thG  methods,  finesse  of  detective  work,  hair-b  eadth 
escapes,  the  perilous  situations,  failures  and  triumphs,  i"  readable  and  intensely 
interesting  style. 

The  books  will  be  found  to  abound  in  thrilling  situations,  unexpected  dis- 
closures  and  dramatic  conceptions,  and  are  copiously  illustrated,  making  the 
series  one  of  the  most  popular  ever  published. 
THE  WHITECHAPEL  MURDERS;  or.  An  American  Detec- 
tive in'London By  A.  F.  PiNKERTOM 

JOSEPH  PRICKETT.  the  Scotland  Yard  Detective .By  Inspecto  :  Murray 
IM  CUMMINGS;  or.  The  Great  Adams  Express  Robbery..  By  A.  F  Pinbbrton 

A  LIFE  FOR  A  LIFE;  or,  The  Detective's  Triumph By  A.  F.  PiNKEr.TON 

A  WOMAN'S  REVENGE;  or.  The  Creole's  Crime By  Myron  Pinkerton 

THE  SEVERED  HEAD;  or,  A  Terrible  Confession By  F.  Du  Boisgobey 

THE  STOLEN  WILL;  or,  The  Rokewood  Tragedy By  Myron  Pinkerton 

FILE  No.  114;  a  Sequel  to  File  113 By  Emile  Gaboriau 

FRED  BENNETT,  The  Mormon  Detective..  By  U.  S.  Marshal  BENKEn 

SAVED  AT  THE  SCAFFOLD;  or,  Nic  Brown,  The  Chicago 

Detective By  A.  F.  Pinkerton 

^,000  REWARD;  or.  Cornered  At  Last By  A.  F.  Pinkerton 

'LINK  BY  LINK;  or.  The  Chain  of  Evidence By  Nathan  D.  Urner 

TRACKED  TO  DEATH;  or,  Eagle  Gray,  the  Western  Detec- 
tive   ByMoRRia  Redwing 

THE  GREAT  TRUNK  TRAGEDY;  or.  Shadowed  to  Austra- 
lia.    A  full  and  complete  history  of  the  celebrated  Max- 

well-Preller  case By  Morris  Redwikq 

DETECTIVE  AGAINST  DETECTIVE;  or,   A  Great  Con- 

spiracy .c By  Morris  Redwino 

A  CRIMINAL  QUEEN;  or.  TheFatal  Shot By  Ernest  A.  YoUNa 

MARKED  FOR  LIFE;  or.  The  Gambler's  Fate By  A.  F.  Pinkerton 

DYKE  DARREL,  The  Railroad  Detective;  or   The  Crime  of 

the  Midnight  Express 3y  A.  P.  Pinkerton 

A  SHARP  NIGHT'S  WORK B;  James  Franklin  Fitts 

THE  DETECTIVE'S  SECRET By  Nathan  D.  Urner 

MANACLE  AND  BRACELET ByEi^MUND     .     trono 

THE  GREAT  CRONIN  MYSTERY;  or,  The  Irish  Patriot 

.      Fate ByACmcAOO  Detectivb 

MEXICAN  BILL,  The  Cowboy  Detective By  ••Nevada  Ned" 

A  PRIVATE  DETECTIVE:  The  Marvelou   Career  o£  a  Note  - 

rious  Criminal By  Lieut  John  D  Shea  of  tie  Chicago  Polica 

THE    ROBBER   KING:  Thrilling  Episode  in  a        reer  of 

Crime By  Detective  Patrick  Ty  ell,       the     hlcaeo  Police 

THE  ICEPOND  MYSTERY,  The  Startling  Stery  o.    -  Tern- 

rible  Crime By  Lieut.  J©seph  Kipley,    t  the  Chicago  Police 

THE  RUNAWAY  WIFE-  er,  Love  and  Vengeance...     CatTain  Simon  O'Don 

NELL,  of  the  Chicago  Felice. 
n.  DARING  HORSE  THIEF.. By  Detective  Pat  k  Ryan,  of  the  Chicago  Pollco 
THE  ONE-HANDED  BURGLAR;  ©r.  The  Tragi-  Fjtte  .fa 

Desperate  Criminal By  Lieut.  Ebwa  d  Ladghlin,  ot  thaCkicase  Pclic« 

THE  MAIL  ROBBER;  or,  Tha  Clever   Capture  >  '    a  Dis- 
honest Postal  Clerk.By  James  E.  Stewart,  Chief  Inspector  P©8t  Office  Dep^ 
THE  STOLEN  LACES;  an  Episode  in  the  History  of  Chi- 
cago Crime By  Denis  Simmons,  Ex-Chief  ef  the  Chicago  Poller 


The  above  boo%s  are  handsomely  bound,  in  Uthcffraphcd  80««n,  and  en 
folly  iUnetrated.  They  are  for  sale  on  all  railroads,  at  all  booiutoroSb  sr  viB  ba 
eoafled,  on  receipt  td  ptico.  h;  the  publishers, 

LAIRD  &  LEE,  Publishers, 

laa-SOS  Jackson  St.  ONICMA,  Ml» 


THE  GREAT  f\SEW  NOVEL. 

THE  LOST  WITNESS 

OR,  THE  MYSTERY  OF  LEAH  PAGET. 


By  LAWRENCE  L  LYNCH 

HADOWED  BY  THREE,"   "DANGEROUS   GrOI 

LINE  Payne,"  etc.,  etc» 

Eamoj  557  pages.     i6  full-page  illustrations.     Printed  on  fine  book  papetj 
'     from  large  type;  and  handsomely  bound  in  paper  covers,  thread  sewed' 


Author  of  "Shadowed  by  Three,"  "Dangerous  Grouni^,  -  •* Made- 
line Payne,"  etc.,  etc» 


Tlie  splendid  reputation  acquired  by  Mr.,  Lynch,  whose  fascinating 
writings  have  given  delight  to  countless  readers,  is  fully  sustained  in  this, 
his  latest  work.  Leah  Paget,  the^beautiful  daughter  of  a  New  York  mill- 
ionaire, is  mysteriously  abducted.  The  police  search  in  vain.  Francis 
Ferrars,  the  famous  detective  of  "Shadowed  by  Three,"  is  hastily  sum- 
moned from  Europe.  Immediately  following  his  arrival,  a  new  complica- 
tion arises.  Hertense  Novalis,  a  famous  and  handsome  actress,  is  found 
murdered,  in  her  splendid  apartments.  The  only  clue  discovered  is  a  start- 
ling one,  and  seems  to  connect  Leah  Paget  and  her  affianced  with  this 
crime !  Francis  Ferrars,  and  Cotisin,  a  reporter,  set  themselves  to  work 
in  earnest,  each  taking  up  a  separate  line  of  inquiry;  and  Ferrars  places 
Ceusin  under  surveillance  as  well.  And  the  murder  of  Novalis  is  further 
complicated  by  the  sudden  disappearance  of  LaBelie  Fabrice^  a  rival 
actress,  who  has  just  scored  a  most  successful  debtit.  The  plot  of  this 
fascinating  book  i:.  intricate  in  the  extreme,  and  we  can  promise  readers  a 
rare  '^reat  in  its  perusaL 


THE  ABOVE  BOOK  FORMS  NO.  1  OF 

The  Library  of  Choice  Fiotion. 

FOi  3L£  BY  ALL  BOOKSELLERS  AND  NEWSDEALERS,  AND 
m  ALL  HAILHOAD  TRAINS. 

LAIR©  &  LEE.  Pybis^^PS  CHICAGO,  ILL 


JESSE  JAMES. 


JESSE  JAMES 

And  His  Band  ef  Notorious  Outlaws 

BY 

WELCHE  GORDON 


Copyright  1890  by  LAIRD  &  LEE 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


The  PINKERTON  DETECTIVE  SERIES.     Issued  Monthly 
-    By  Subscription  §3.00  per  annum.     No.  44  August  1890. 
Entered  at  Chicago  Postoffica  as  second  class  mattes 


CHICAGO 

LAIRD  &  LEE  Publishers 
1891 


Emile  Zola's  Poweiful  Realistic  Novels 

"After  reading  Zola's  novels  it  seems  as  if  in  all  others,  even 
in  the  truest,  there  were  a  veil  between  the  reader  and  the  things 
described,  and  there  is  present  to  our  mind  the  same  difference  as 
exists  between  the  representations  of  human  faces  on  canvas  and 
the  reflection  of  the  same  faces  in  the  mirror-  It  is  like  finding 
truth  for  the  first  time.— »S'?^«<?;'  de  Amicis, 


NANA.    Translated  from  the  127th  French  editioa 

I(A  TERRE.  M.  Zola  says  of  this,  one  of  his  latest  works, 
"  I  have  endeavored  to  deal  with  the  French  peasant  in 
this  book,  just  as  I  dealt  with  the  Paris  workman  in 
*L'AssoMMOiR.'  I  have  endeavored  to  write  his  history,  to 
discribe  his  manners,  passions  and  sorrows  in  the  fatal 
situations  and  circumstances  in  which  he  finds  himself. " 

L'ASSOMMOIE.    Translated  from  the  97th  French  edition. 

MAMA'S  BAUeHTEE.    A  Reply  to  "Nana." 
A  BEEAII  OF  LO¥E. 

POT  BOUILLE.  (Piping  Hot !)  Translated  from  the  87ih 
French  edition. 

THE  LADIES'  PAKADISE.  Translated  from  the  84th 
French  edition. 

NAFA^B  BROTHER  eERMIFAL.      Translated  from 

the  47th  French  edition. 

mm  MOFRET'S  TEANSGRESSIOH.^  Translated 
from  the  5 2d  French  edition. 

THE  JOYS  OF  LIFE.  Translated  from  the  44th  French 
edition. 

A  LOVE    EPISODE.    Translated  from  the  52d  Frendi 

edition. 

SFMAH  BRUTES.  (La  B6te  Humaine.)  Zola's  latest 
work. 

Above  books  are  printed  on  good  paper  from  large  type,  and  ar® 

appropriately  illustrated.    They  are  the  best  edition 

of  Emiie  Zola's  works  published  in  America. 


LAIRD  &  LEE,  Publishers, 
203-20S  Jacksoe  Sfrsel,  (»ilCA60,  lU. 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  scribblers' S   PLEA. 

OUTLAWS,    BANDITS  AND  HIGHWAYMEN ROBIN  HOOD 

AND   JESSE   JAMES THE  PREFACE 

Outlaws,  bandits,  pirates  and  highwaymen  have 
been  favorite  subjects  of  the  novelist  and  story- 
tellers, since  the  art  of  writing  and  the  science  of 
narratory  have  existed.  The  subjects  were  in  a 
lively  state  of  activity  ages  before  the  stylus  of 
the  Egyptian,  and  the  wax  tablets  of  the  Greeks 
were  ever  invented.  The  inspired  pen  of  Moses 
wrote  of  Cain,  the  first  outlaw,  the  original  mur- 
derer. The  historians  of  the  ancient  Hebrews  im- 
mortalized the  Ishmaelites,  the  wonders  of  the  des- 
ert, whose  hands  were  against  the  hands  of  the  rest 
of  mankind. 

St.  Paul  relates  his  adventures  with  pirates  and 
robbers,  and  Josephus  tells  of  the  raids  of  armed 
and  organized  bandits. 

Robin  Hood  and  his  merry  men  have  been  the 
inspiration  of  the  minstrels  and  writers  of  medi- 
eval times.  Dick  Turpin,  the  gallant,  bold  king 
of  the  road,  the  dashing  highwayman,  has  furnished 
material  for  innumerable  tales,  and  his  exploits 
will  live  as  long  as  mankind  exists. 

Who  has  not  read  of  "Paul  Clifford, "  that  rom.antic, 
elegant,  dashing  gentleman,  who  would  calmly  and 


8  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

politely  rob  a  coach  and  four  while  on  his  way  to 
pay  a    surreptitious  call  upon  his  fond  sweetheart. 

Captain  Kidd,  the  pirate  bold,  has  kept  many 
innocent  readers  of  his  adventures  awake  until  the 
grey  dawn  peeped  between  the  jealous  curtains, 
and  Byron  lent  his  genius  in  singing  of  that  hand- 
some buccaneer,  Don  Juan.  And  now  an  humble 
and  impecunious  scribbler  wets  his  clumsy  pen 
with  thick  ink  to  give  a  gaping  and  yawning  world 
the  history  of  one  who,  disdaining  the  glamour 
which  envelopes  the  romantic  scoundrels  of  "ye 
olden  days,"  stands  the  superior  of  all  in  audacity 
and  rashness,  courage  and  nerve,  brutality  and 
hellishness — Jesse  James. 

How  can  one  begin  the  tale  of  this  terrible  man? 

What  language  can  furnish  the  vocabulary  which 
contains  enough  lurid  words,  wild  synonyms,  en- 
sanguinary  adjectives,  and  murderous  verbs,  to  do 
justice  to  this  horrible  monster;  this  insatiable 
vampire  who  lias  drank  enough  blood  to  print  in 
red,  an  entire  edition  of  this  narrative? 

Dead  though  he  be,  incapable  of  harming  even  a 
child;  though  he  was  at  last  overtaken  by  a 
tardy  retribution,  his  memory  alone  still  causes 
the  strong  man  to  look  askance  as  he  passes  along 
the  lonely  Missouri  roads  which  once  echoed  with 
the  hoofbeats  of  Jesse  James'  wild  horses,  and 
makes  the  brave  heart  tremble  at  the  sudden  shadow 
cast  by  the  v/aving  tree  limbs  which  once  served 
to  shelter  this  messenger  of  death. 


THE  SCRIBBLER'S  'PLEA  9 

That  ancient,  and  weather  beaten  truiam,  "Facts 
are  stranger  than  fiction"  acquires  additional  vigor, 
and  renewed  youth,  when  applied  to  the  life  and 
adventures  of  Jesse  James.  No  novelist  in  his 
wildest  flights  of  fancy,  no  writer  urged  on  by  the 
maddest  vagaries  of  a  heated  imagination,  no  pen 
possessed  of  inventive  genius  short  of  Satanic, 
could  conjure  up  such  a  character,  trace  so  wild  a 
life,  or  create  such  dramatic  tableaux. 

The  plain  unvarnished  facts  which  will  relate  to 
you  the  career,  adventures,  escapades,  and  death  of 
this  Jesse  James,  will  seem  too  strange,  and  ex- 
travagant to  be  true,  but  the  compiler  of  this 
history  is  not  gifted  with  the  genius  of  imagery, 
and  must,  forsooth,  write  facts,  facts,  facts,  hard 
pitiless,  terrible  facts,  and  then,  he  will  have 
told  but  a  part. 


CHAPTER  II 

JESSE  AND  FRANK  JAMES 

THE    YOUTHFUL  NIMRODS BECOMING  CRACK  SHOTS 

QUANTRELL'S   SAD   STORY THE  DEATH  OATH 

FRANK  JAMES  BECOMES  A  GUERILLA A 

CRUEL  OUTRAGE JESSE  JOINS 

QUANTRELL 

To  mention  Jesse  James,  is  to  speak  of  his 
brother,  Frank.  Kentucky,  the  "Bloody  Ground"  of 
Daniel  Boone  and  early  pioneer  days,  must  share 
with  Missouri,  the  "Bloodier  Ground"  of  later  days, 
the  memorable  honor  of  calling  the  James  boys 
their  sons. 

It  was  in  the  year  of  1845,  that  Frank  James,  the 
elder  of  the  brothers,  entered  this  world  in  Scott 
County,  Kentucky.  His  father,  by  the  cruel  satire 
of  events,  was  a  Baptist  clergyman. 

Four  years  later  Jesse  was  born  into  the  world 
in  Clay  county,  Missouri;  the  family  having  moved 
to  that  locality  shortly  after  the  birth  of  Frank. 

It  was  a  ghastly  joke  of  circumstances  that  sur- 
rounded these  two  lads  with  the  pious  atmosphere 
of  a  minister's  family,  for  their  father  was  a  good, 
sincere  expounder  of  the  divine  truths,  and  labored 
incessantly  in  his  new  vineyard. 

Providence  was  kind  to  him  ever,  for,  becoming 


JESSE  A^D  FRANK  ii 

enthused  with  the  fever  of  '49^  the  reverend 
gentleman  gave  up  his  pastorate,  and  set  his  face 
to  the  sun  which  set  over  the  gold  fields  of  Califor- 
nia. He  left  his  family  in  Missouri,  traveled 
over  the  plains  to  the  Golden  State,  and  never  re- 
turned, for  contracting  a  mortal  disease,  he  died 
far  away  from  his  home  and  wife,  and  was  thus 
spared  the  anguish  which  v/ould  surel}^  have  been 
his  had  he  lived  to  witness  the  deeds  which  rang 
through  the  entire  country,  coupled  with  his 
family  name. 

The  mother,  Mrs.  James  was  made  of  different 
material  than  her  husband,  and,  of  the  two,  she  v/as 
certainly  the  most  masculine.  Although  left  alone, 
comparativel}^  speaking,  in  the  world,  she  put 
on  the  harness,  and  brought  up  her  family,  unaided 
and  alone,  until  seven  years  had  past,  when  she 
again  became  a  bride,  and  left  the  church  on  the 
arm  of  her  second  husband.  Dr.  Reuben  Samuels. 

Frank  and  Jesse  had  grown  into  strong  lusty 
lads,  the  terrors  of  their  companions.  Quick  to 
resent  a  fancied  or  real  affront,  eager  to  pick  up  a 
quarrel  upon  the  slighest  provocation,  and  never 
hesitating  to  mete  out  the  fullest  punishment  their 
ungracious  minds  could  invent,  they  were  dreaded 
by  the  neighbors,  and  feared  by  everybody. 

Dr.  Samuels  seems  to  have  been  attached  to  them 
for,  among  other  presents,  he  gave  them  each  a 
double  barreled  shot  gun.  In  a  short  time  both 
lads  became  veritable  Nimrods,  and,  having  already 


12  JESSE  JzAMES  AND  HIS  BAND 

acquired  a  knowledge  of  woodcraft  which  filled 
their  young  minds  with  a  strong  desire  to  know 
more,  they  spent  all  their  time  with  the  favorite 
guns,  and  kept  the  family  larder  supplied  with 
game. 

Before  long,  each  boy  was  the  proud  possessor  of 
a  revolver,  and  they  became  as  expert  with  their 
pistols  as  they  were  with  their  shot  guns. 

Fired  with  the  ambition  to  excel  all  others  in 
the  use  of  this  universal  fire  arm,  they  practised 
incessantly,  thus  laying  the  foundation  of  that 
Wonderful  accuracy  and  marksmanship  which  dis- 
tinguished them  in  the  stirring  events  so  soon  to 
follow. 

The  civil  war  had  begun,  and  Quantrell  the 
famous  guerilla  chief  was  ranging  western  Missouri 
with  his  wild  band  of  devoted  followers.  This 
noted  bandit  was  a  creature  of  circumstances.  He 
became  what  he  was  through  one  single  cruel 
wrong.  The  unexpected  events  of  a  single  hour 
turned  him  from  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  a  law- 
abiding  citizen  into  a  human  tiger,  a  monster  of 
blood  and  crime. 

The  story  is  a  sad  one,  for  it  is  the  tale  of  a  crime 
which  begat  a  greater  crime,  of  a  ruined  life,  a 
murderous  existence  and  a  damned  soul.  • 

Charles  William  Quantrell,  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  afterwards  a  good  citizen  of  Cleveland, 
was  a  man  of  education  and  refined  tastes.  He  was 
but  twenty  years  of  age  wh^a  the  terrible  cr0s»«roa4 


fESSE  AhlD  FRANK  13 

of  his  life  was  reached.  With  his  elder  brother, 
who  was  more  than  a  brother  to  him,  and  whom  he 
loved  and  respected  as  a  father,  he  was  en  route  to 
the  gold  fields  of  California.  They  had  with  them 
a  negro  servant  and  had  proceeded,  in  their  emi- 
grant prairie-schooner,  as  far  as  Kansas. 

One  night,  when  camped  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cottonwood  River,  enjoying  the  beautiful  cool  of 
the  evening  air,  smoking  their  pipes  and  planning 
for  the  future,  they  were  suddenly  startled  by  the 
appearance  of  thirty  men  on  horse-back,  whom  they 
recognized  as  Jay-hawkers. 

These  banditti,  captained  by  a  man  named  Lane, 
were  blood-thirsty  rascals,  who,  under  the  name  of 
Abolitionists,  ranged  all  Kansas,  committing  the 
most  atrocious  crimes,  and  blood-thirsty  acts,  rob- 
bing and  murdering  wherever  they  rode. 

The  mounted  men  came  toward  the  quiet  camp 
with  the  speed  of  pursued  demons,  and,  without 
warning,  fired  a  volley  into  the  two  brothers. 

Riddled  by  the  murderous  bullets,  the  elder 
brother  fell  a  lifeless  corpse,  and  Charles, 
struck  by  a  number  of  the  leaden  missies,  fell 
across  his  body,  apparently  a  dead  man.  Plunder 
followed  the  murder,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the 
tent,  wagon,  negro,  and  horses,  with  all  the  gold 
seeker's  paraphanalia  was  moving  across  the  plain 
surrounded  by  the  devilish  murderers. 

Young  Quantrell  lay  senseless  and  bleeding  until 
the  next  morning,  and  for  two  days,  he  prayed  for 


14  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  'BAND 

death  between  his  delirious  ravings.  The  buzzards 
and  coyotes  hovered  near  him,  grim  forebodings  of 
death,  and  the  pitiless  sun  beat  upon  his  bursting 
head,  filling  the  hot  brain  with  all  the  disordered 
fancies  of  a  fevered  mind.  But  his  strong  con- 
stitution pulled  him  through,  and  he  lived,  lived 
to  kneel  beside  the  corpse  of  his  dead  brother  and 
swear  to  be  avenged.  Wept  and  cursed,  prayed 
and  raved,  but  determined  to  live,  live  until  every 
hair  on  his  dead  brother's   head  would  be  avenged* 

In  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  the  outrage, 
an  old  Shawnee  Indian,  Golightly  Spieback,  passed 
by  and  found  the  grief-stricken  lad. 

Tenderly  his  skillful  fingers  bound  up  the  wounds, 
deftly  and  quickly  he  prepared  meat  for  the  weak 
body,  and,  when  the  body  was  nourished  and  the 
wounds  bandaged,  the  old  Indian  dug  a  grave  and 
buried  the  poor  slaughtered  brother.  To  his  Indian 
home  he  carried  the  bereaved  Quantrell,,  and  nursed 
him  back  to  complete  health. 

Then  the  active  guerilla  life  of  the  famous  outlaw 
began.  Sworn  to  be  revenged,  hating  with  an  im- 
placable hatred  the  very  name  of  Jay-hawkers,  mer- 
ciless and  cruel  to  every  member  of  the  order  who 
fell  into  his  eager  hands,  considering  no  torture 
too  severe,  no  punishment  too  barbarous  for  such 
men,  he  soon  became  the  feared  and  dreaded  foe  of 
every  band  of  Jay-hawkers  in  Kansas  and  Missouri. 

The  war  of  the  Rebellion  added  new  zest  and  fury 
to    the    Border    warfare,    and    Quantrell    gathered 


JESSE  AND  FRANK  '  t$ 

around  him  a  band  of  young  Missourians  who  loved 
him  as  their  captain,  and  who  followed  him  wherever 
he  rode.  Such  famous  bordermen  as  Todd,  Ander- 
son, Gregg,  and  the  Younger  brothers  acknowledged 
him  as  chief  tan  and  gloried  in  the  dark  folds  of  his 
black  flag.  The  tales  of  their  exploits,  exaggerat- 
ed by  repetition,  reached  the  hungry  ears  of  Frank 
James  and  fired  his  youthful  heart  with  a  great  am- 
bition. He  longed  to  be  enrolled  under  the  "black 
flag."  His  adventuresome  spirit  urged  him  to  go, 
and  so,  in  1862,  mounted  on  a  fleet  horse,  armed 
with  a  rifle  and  his  beloved  revolvers,  he  rode 
to  Quantrell. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  both  Dr.  Samuels  and 
his  spouse  approved  of  this  act.  Their  sympathies 
were  all  with  the  south  in  the  conflict,  and  Quan- 
trell was  borne  with  a  great  deal  of  complacency  by 
the  partizansof  the  Confederates,  who  made  up  a 
large  part  of  the  people  of  Clay  county.  Whenever 
the  guerilla  chieftain  captured  and  shot  a  roving 
band  of  Jayhawkers,  or  put  to  flight  a  company  of 
Missouri  militiamen,  the  deeds  were  applauded, 
and  the  little  eccentricities  in  the  shape  of  a  few 
stolen  horses,  or  a  couple  of  burned  barns,  were 
looked  on  as  playful  idiosyncrasies  of  the  lively 
bravos. 

Mrs.  Samuels,  especially,  was  loyal  to  the  south. 
Her  voice  was  fearlessly  raised  in  the  cause  she 
espoused,  and  she  openly  displayed  her  hatred  to 
the  blue  uniforms  of  the  Yankee  soldiers.  By  vari' 


i6  JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  "BANB 

ous  means  she  managed  to  learn  of  the  movements 
of  the  Union  troops,  and  whenever  the  information 
was  important,  she  would  mount  Jesse  upon  a  fleet 
horse  and  send  him  to  Quantrell.  So  open  and  ob- 
noixous  was  Mrs.  Samuels  in  her  demonstrations 
of  southern  love,  that  the  Federal  militiamen  be- 
gan to  notice  it.  From  mere  notice  suspicion  was 
aroused.  Her  house  was  watched,  and  it  became 
known  that  several  secret  midnight  conclaves  had 
been  held  there. 

For  some  time  the  militia  did  not  interfere,  but 
at  length  patience  ceased  to  be  a  particular  virtue, 
and  it  was  decided  to  pay  the  Samuels  a  visit. 

It  was  in  June  of  1862  that  this  little  bit  of  cer- 
emony occurred.  A  company  of  Missouri  militia 
marched  to  Kearney  and  came  to  a  halt  before  the 
Samuels  homestead. 

In  language  which  was  not  veiled  in  diplomatic 
courtesy,  they  told  the  venerable  doctor  that  he 
and  his  family  were  in  league  with  Quantrell  and 
his  gang,  that  his  house  was  used  as  a  secret  coun- 
cil chamber  for  the  guerrillas,  that  his  son,  Jesse 
James,  was  the  go-between  employed  by  Quantrell, 
and  that  his  wife  was  an  obnoxious  character  who 
had  become  as  stench  to  the  nostrils  of  the  true 
believers,  and  that  they  were  going  to  make  an  ex- 
ample of  himself  and  Jesse. 

The  latter  was  plowing  in  a  distant  field  and 
Mrs.  Samuels  was  in  the  house,  out  of  sight,  but 
within  hearing. 


YOUNG  JESSE  AS  A  SCOUT. 


i8  fESSE  f^MES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

The  doctor  listened  to  the  tirade,  and  then  pleaded 
with  them  to  leave  him  alone,  urging  that  he  was 
a  peaceful  farmer  who  did  not  care  to  take  any  part 
in  the  quarrel.  To  this  appeal  the  militia  replied 
by  ribald  remarks  and  coarse  jests.  Then  the  rope 
was  produced,  and,  after  pinioning  his  arms  se- 
curely, the  noose  was  adjusted  around  his  neck,  and 
he  was  drawn  into  the  air.  Leaving  him  hanging 
there,  they  left  in  a  body  for  Jesse. 

Mrs.  Samuels  had  witnessed  the  outrage,  and,  as 
soon  as  an  intervening  grove  hid  the  soldiers  from 
sight,  flew  to  the  rescue.  With  almost  superhuman 
strength,  she  climbed  the  tree  and  cut  her  husband 
down.  He  fell  like  a  dead  man,  but,  after  work- 
ing for  some  time,  she  revived  him  and  took  him 
to  a  place  of  safety. 

In  the  meantime  the  gallant  troop  who  counter- 
feited soldiers,  went  after  Jesse,  and  found  him 
plowing.  Placijig  a  rope  around  his  neck,  they 
threatened  to  hang  him  to  the  nearest  tree  unless 
he  told  them  where  they  could  find  Quantrell. 

But,  though  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  Jesse 
James  possessed  a  lion  heart,  and  he  remained 
stolid  and  indifferent,  preserving  a  contemptuous 
silence. 

Somewhat  awed  by  the  spirit  of  the  boy,  they 
left  him  alone,  after  swearing  dire  vengeance  if  he 
undertook  any  more  midnight  rides  for  Quantrell's 
benefit. 


fESSE  <^ND  F%A^K  19 

Supposing  Dr.  Samuels  to  be  quite  dead  by  this 
time,  and  in  good  spirits  over  the  day's  sport,  they 
left  the  farm.  Learning,  howeyer,  that  the  doughty 
doctor  was  still  very  much  alive,  and  that  Jesse 
continued  his  night  rides,  they  again  appeared  be- 
fore the  house,  and  demanded  both  men,  but  they 
found  them  absent,  no  one  at  home  but  Mrs.  Sam- 
uels and  her  daughter,  Susie. 

Furious  at  their  ill  success,  and  rendered  still 
more  angry  at  the  vixen  tongue  of  Mrs.  Samuels, 
who  relished  nothing  better  than  a  war  of  vindic- 
tive metaphors  and  vexful  phrases,  they  arrested 
both  the  mother  and  daughter  and  carried  them  to 
the  jail  at  St.  Joseph. 

Here  they  were  incarcerated  for  weeks,  subjected 
to  all  the  insults  which  the  ingenuity  of  the  vulgar 
crowd  could  invent,  but,  an  implacable  hater  her- 
sel,  Mrs.  Samuels  gave  them  as  good  as  they  sent, 
and  they  were  glad  to  let  her  go. 

With  his  brother  Frank  a  member  of  QuantrelPs 
band,  his  mother  and  sister  prisoners,  his  step- 
father and  himself  hunted  fugitives,  Jesse  deter- 
mined to  join  Frank. 

He  had  again  and  again  begged  permission  to 
enter  the  band,  but  was  considered  too  young.  He 
was  barely  sixteen  years  of  age  with  the  smooth 
face  of  a  girl,  but  the  muscles  of  an  athlete. 

Determined  however  to  fight  under  Quantrell's 
standard,  smarting    under  the  insults  he  had  borne 


20  fESSE  fAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

and  burning  for  vengeance,  he  nr.onnted  his  horse 
and  sped  for  the  guerilla  encampment.  He  was 
this  time  received  with  open  arms  and  from  that 
time  on  with  his  brother  Frank,  was  the  boldest, 
most  daring,  wildest  momber  of  the  company. 


CHAPTER    III 

THE  RICHFIELD  RAID 
MURDER    OF    SESSIONS    AND    GROFFENSTEIN A    SUCCESS- 
FUL RAID ^JESSE  AS  A  SCOUT PLATTSBURG 

RAIDED CAPTAIN  RODGERS  A  CAP- 
TIVE  A  STRANGE  BANQUET 

TERRIBLE  CONDITION  OF 
AFFAIRS 

Shortly  after  the  James  boys  had  become  mem- 
bers of  QuantrelPs  band  the  guerilla  chief  deter- 
mined to  engage  more  actively  in  the  struggle  then 
going  on  between  the  north  and  south.  Clay,  Clin- 
ton and  Platte  counties  were  in  a  large  degree  sym- 
pathizers of  the  sunny  south — at  least  two-thirds  of 
the  population  were    partizans  of  the  rebel  forces. 

The  war  fever  raged  with  growing  heat.  The 
fullest  bitterness  of  the  conflict  was  drank  to  the 
dregs.  Families  were  divided,  brothers  antagonized 
brothers,  sons  arrayed  themselves  against  their 
fathers,  and  the  spirit  of  the  times  created  feuds 
on  all  sides. 

Excitement  ran  high  and  the  slumbering  passion 
of  the  community  burst  into  a  flame  when  the  Fed- 
eral troops  entered  that  section  of  Missouri,  and 
took  up  their  quarters  in  the  various  towns. 

The  town  of  Richfield  stood  on  the  northern  banks 

21 


22  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "BzAND 

of  the  Missouri  river,  and  was  selected  on  account 
of  its  locality  and  strategic  situation,  as  a  Federal 
garrison.  The  company  stationed  there  was  but  a 
small  one,  composed  of  thirty-five  men,  commanded 
by  a  Captain  Sessions. 

Quantrell  was  too  experienced  a  commander  to 
keep  his  men  in  a  condition  of  inactivity,  and  he 
selected  Richfield  as  the  initial  point  of  a  series 
of  assaults. 

Selecting  a  dozen  of  his  gang,  including  both 
Frank  and  Jesse  James,  he  placed  them  under  the 
leadership  of  Captain  Scott,  with  orders  to  raid 
the  garrison. 

Suddenly  appearing,  the  desperadoes  dashed  into 
the  town,  Frank  James  leading.  A  desperate  con- 
flict ensued,  but  the  unerring  marksmanship  of  the 
guerillas,  and  their  consummate  qualities  of  dash, 
won  the  day.  Captain  Sessions,  and  his  lieutenant 
Groffenstein,  were  killed  the  first  volley.  Ten  of 
the  militiamen  bit  the  dust,  but  the  guerillas  lost 
not  a  man.  The  garrison  immediately  surrendered 
to  Captain  Scott,  who  paroled  the  survivors. 

The  challenge  thus  thrown  out  by  Quantrell  was 
accepted  by  the  Union  forces,  who  were  imme- 
diately massed  together  for  offense  and  defense. 
Reinforcements  were  hurried  forward,  and  elaborate 
plans  were  made  to  crush  the  band  of  outlaws 
under  Quantrell. 

In  some  manner,  Mrs.  Samuels  became  informed 
of  the  plans  that    were  being   laid  by    the  Feder- 


fESSE  ^ND  FRANK  23 

als,  and  she  waited  impatiently  for  an  opportunity 
to  forward  the  important  news  to  Quantrell.  This 
chance  was  soon  hers,  for,  one  dark  night,  Jesse 
James,  who  had  been  detailed  as  a  scout  by  the 
astute  chieftain,  after  a  long  wearisome  ride  through 
the  wild  county  of  Clay,  came  to  his  mother's 
house. 

She  received  him  with  open  arms,  her  maternal 
bosom  swelling  with  pride  as  her  desperado  son 
detailed  the  particulars  of  the  Richfield  raid. 

The  information  she  gave  was  of  such  important 
nature,  that  before  the  first  streak  of  dawn  appeared, 
Jesse  was  in  the   saddle   again,  speeding   to   Scott. 

To  him  he  told  the  news.  The  garrison  of  Platts- 
burg,  in  Clinton,  was  practically  deserted,  as  the 
soldiers  were  on  a  raid  after  the  guerillas. 

Scott  speedily  outlined  a  plan  of  operations, 
and  the  sharp  quick  words  of  command  "To  saddle" 
put  the  little  troop  in  motion. 

When  within  a  few  miles  of  Plattsburg,  they 
defiled  into  a  dense  bit  of  timber,  and  sent  forward 
scouts. 

When  these  returned  in  the  afternoon  with  their 
reports,  the  freebooters  again  sprang  into  the  sad- 
dle, and'  dashed  toward  the  doomed  town.  Riding 
straight  for  the  market  square,  they  found  a  few 
militia-men  in  the  court-house.  At  once  all  was 
confusion,  for,  though  taken  by  surprise,  the  sol- 
diers were  reluctant  to  surrender  without  resist- 
ance. 


24  JESSE  JAMES  zAND  HIS  "B^ND 

While  the  tumult  was  at  its  height,  the  Federal 
commander,  Captain  Rodgers,  rode  unsuspectingly 
into  the  square. 

In  an  instant  Frank  James  captured  him,  and  the 
gallant  soldier  was  a  disarmed  prisoner. 

When  his  men  saw  their  commander  a  captive, 
they  poured  volley  after  volley  into  the  band  of 
marauders.  For  a  short  time  affairs  assumed  a 
serious  aspect  for  the  guerillas,  and  the  issue 
seemed  doubtful. 

Frank  James,  who  had  turned  his  captive  over  to 
Captain  Scott,  appreciated  the  gravity  of  affairs  and 
shouted  to  the  Captain — "Captain,  shoot  that  man 
dead  unless  the  garrison    surrenders." 

To  this  advice,  Scott  lent  a  willing  ear,  and 
drawing  his  ready  revolver,  swore  to  kill  the  officer 
unless  he  surrendered. 

Captain  Rodgers,  although  a'  brave  man,  saw 
that  the  guerillas  held  the  winning  hand,  and 
hauled  down  his  colors  instanter,  and  his  men  and 
the  town  were  in  the  hands  of  Scott's  men. 

Pillage  and  looting  followed  the  victory.  Several 
hundred  muskets  were  part  of  the  spoils,  and  be- 
sides a  large  quantity  of  clothing,  ^12,000  cash 
was  secured. 

Frank  James  secured  ^1,000,  as  his  share  of  the 
plunder,  and  that  day  received  from  Scott,  the  first 
money  from  the  proceeds  of  a  raid  his  fingers  had 
ever  felt. 

So  elated  was  Scott    with    his    bonanza  victory, 


THE  %ICHFIELD  %AID  25 

that  he  determined  to  round  out  the  day  in  a  rather 
peculiar  manner. 

Paroling  his  prisoners,  he  ordered  the  principal 
hotel  keeper  of  the  place  to  prepare  a  banquet,  and 
invited  the  Federal  commander,  his  troop  and 
some  citizens  to  join  the  feast.  The  affair  was  a 
huge  success,  the  foes  of  the  afternoon  ate,  drank 
and  sang  together  in  the  evening,  and  the  "feast 
of  reason  and  flow  of  soul"  continued  until  nine 
o'clock.  Then,  with  a  parting  song,  a  farewell 
yell,  and  a  boisterous  chorus,  the  dare-devils 
leaped  into  their  saddles,  and  plunged  into  the 
darkness,  making  their  swift  way  to  QuantrelPs 
camp. 

Although  a  guerilla  chief,  commanding  men  of 
unbridled  passions  and  brutal  license,  Quantrell 
was  a  strict  disciplinarian.  He  ruled  his  force 
with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  exhibited  such  remarkable 
qualities  of  military  order,  that  to  his  men,  his 
name  was  but  another  synonym  for  success. 

His  standard  was  a  black  flag,  made  by  the 
sweetheart  of  one  of  his  freebooters,  and  the  dark 
folds  of.  the  terrible  insignia  proved  a  veritable 
black  curse  wherever  it  was  unfurled.  Brooking 
no  act  of  disobedience,  exacting  from  his  men  the 
strictest  fidelity  and  constant  loyalty  to  himself, 
terribly  swift  in  his  punishments,  Quantrell 
held  his  wild  ungovernable  border  ruffians  in  the 
leash,  and  made  them  as  plastic  clay  in  the  potter's 
hands.     When    he    said    "Do    this,"   it   was  done; 


26  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  "B^ND 

"Go"  and  they  went;  "Come"  and  they  came.  No 
consideration  of  the  value  of  life  prevented  them 
from  obeying  his  slightest  command..  No  danger 
was  too  great,  no  privations  too  hard,  for  these 
Quantreli's  guerillas.  They  belonged  to  him,  and 
him  alone,  body  and  soul. 

Banded  together  in  the  closest  free-masonry, 
sworn  to  fealty  by  the  most  terrible  oath  the  in- 
ventive ingenuity  of  their  captain  could  devise, 
they  stood  or  fell  together,  vieing  with  the  followers 
of  Mahomet  in  fanatical  devotion  to  their  leader 
and  each  other. 

Quantrell  was  really  a  man  of  rare  intellect  and 
masterly  mind.  He  combined  the  highest  type 
of  executive  ability  with  the  rashest  of  bravery, 
and  now  fairly  enlisted  in  his  self-chosen  cause, 
he  threw  his  whole  soul  into  the  work  and 
flashed  over  the  terror  stricken  land,  a  flame  of  de- 
struction. 

Jesse  James  thus  become  imbued  with  the  same 
characteristics  which  distinguished  his  captain. 
His  youthfuiness  was  no  bar  to  his  expansion,  on 
the  contrary,  his  mind  was  in  condition  to  receive 
and  assimilate  the  ideas,  characteristics  and  ethics 
which  emenated  from  and  controlled  the  rough  exis- 
tence he  loved  so  well.  The  seed  fell  upon  fruit- 
ful ground,  and  in  the  fiery  heat  of  fierce  passions 
it  rapidly  matured. 

The  crack  of  the  revolver,  the  flash  of  the  keen 
bowie  knife  and   the  intoxicating' dash  of  his  swift 


rERRIBLE  CONDITION  OF  <^FFAIRS      27 

steed  become  the  sweetest  and  most  fascinating 
sensations. 

His  unquestionable  bravery  and  reckless  fidelity 
to  his  comrades,  soon  won  the  affections,  not  only 
of  Quantrell,  but  of  the  fierce  outlaws  as  well,  and 
he  was  often  selected  to  lead  forays  and  plunder- 
ing expeditions. 

The  condition  of  affairs  in  Western  Missouri  at 
this  time  were  deplorable.  The  country  was  over- 
run by  soldiers.  Both  Federals  and  Confederates 
swarmed,  and,  on  all  sides,  hung  the  dark  bands  of 
the  lawless  guerillas,  gleaning  after  the  destruc- 
tive harvesters.  No  man's  life  was  safe,  and  no 
woman's  honor  but  what  was  in  jeopardy.  Rape,  mur- 
der, robbery  and  assassination  strode  through  the 
devoted  land,  and  their  hellish  foot-prints  were 
used  as  graves  for  their  victims. 

Quantrell' s  band,  however,  did  not,  at  this  time, 
commit  any  of  the  petty  crimes  perpetrated  by  the 
smaller  gangs  of  outlaws.  It  was  better  organized 
and  numerically  stronger,  having  some  200  men  in 
it.  Although  an  irregular  organization,  it  made 
some  claim  of  being  regular  Confederate  troops, 
enlisted  in  the  cause,  and  acting  under  orders  as 
a  detached  corps.  It  is  safe  to  admit  this  as  true, 
but  the  orders  came  from  Quantrell,  and  Quantrell 
alone.  This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  in  Western 
Missouri,  in  August,  1863. 


CHAPTER  IV 

QUANTRELL*S  CAMP 

A    DIABOLICAL     CONFERENCE "ON     TO     LAWRENCE" 

THREE  HUNDRED  DEMONS    LOOSED TWO  DAYS    OF 

BLOOD THE  MASSACRE    OF  LAWRENCE 

JESSE  AND  FRANK  JAMES   KILL  SIXTY- 
FIVE  PERSONS A  CARNIVAL 

OF   HELL 

Quantrell  now  had  his  force  under  good  discipline, 
well  armed  and  well  mounted.  The  recruits  which 
flocked  to  his  standard  swelled  the  band  to  three 
hundred  men  ready  for  the  w^ord. 

After  his  victorious  raid  on  Plattsburg,  the  sag- 
acious captain  moved  his  camp  further  south, 
and,  ever  after,  constantly  changed  his  head- 
quarters. 

Success  had  smiled  upon  him,  and  he  began  to 
believe  himself  invincible.  The  small  game  he 
had  been  hunting  lost  its  blandishments,  and  his 
ambitious  eyes  swept  the  country  in  search  of  lar- 
ger game  more  worthy  his  steel. 

The  guerillas  were  in  camp  one  August  evening, 
sitting  around  the  cheerful  camp  fires;  sentries 
were  posted,  videttes  on  horseback  were  stationed 
at  remote  distances,  with  keen  eyes  and  alert  ears, 
ready  on  the  instant  to  speed  back  and  give  warn- 
ing  of   an   approaching    foe.     Circled    around    the 

28 


QUA^TRELVS  CAMP  29 

camp,  dimly  outlined  in  the  fitful  gleam  of  the 
fires,  ranged  the  darling  horses  of  the  bold  raiders, 
and  their  owners,  stretched  upon  the  green  sward, 
under  the  hospitable  roof  of  the  arching  tree  limbs, 
threw  the  elusive  dice,  or  wagered  their  wealth 
upon  the  fascinating  poker  hand. 

At  a  little  distance,  somewhat  apart  from  the 
rest,  a  group  of  men  in  consultation  could  be 
observed.  They  were  Quantrell,  Frank  and  Jesse 
James,  the  Younger  and  the  Shepherd  brothers,  and 
two  or  three  other  kindred  spirits. 

A  conference  was  in  progress  which  was  diaboli- 
cal in  its  object.  Yet  the  quiet  tones,  guarded 
and  low,  of  the  speakers,  gave  no  clue  to  the  das- 
tardly subject  of  their  conversation. 

Quantrell  had  selected  Lawrence,  a  small  but 
vigorous  town  in  Kansas,  situated  on  the  river 
Kaw,  as  the  objective  point  for  a  raid,. 

His  men  were  weary  of  small  affrays,  and  this 
would  serve  a  double  purpose.  It  would  give 
vent  to  the  pent-up  activity  of  the  men  and,  at 
the  same  time,  allow  Quantrell  to  repay  an  old 
score,  for  Lawrence  was  the  home  of  Gen.  Jim 
Lane,  the  organizer  and  leader  of  the  notorious  Jay- 
hawkers. 

Rapidly  outlining  his  plan,  Quantrell  put  the 
matter  to  vote,  and  the  result  was  an  enthusiastic, 
and  unanimous  affirmative. 

The  element  of  extreme  danger  which  entered 
into  the    proposed    expedition,  made   it   the    more 


30  JESSB  MMES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

desirous,  and  the  possibility  of  a  glorious  revenge 
on  their  old  and  hated  foe  made  the  leaders  eager 
to  start. 

The  question  was  then  put  to  the  men,  and  a 
stentorian  yell  of  approval  greeted  the  ears  of  their 
leader. 

Accordingly,  at  day  break  of  the  19th  of  August, 
the  command,  "Mount!"  was  given,  and  the  cav- 
alcade, three  hundred  strong,  started  on  their  march 
for  Lawrence. 

The  following  two  days  were  days  of  blood. 
Terrible,  fearful  agonizing  blood.  As  the  frontier 
man,  wending  his  way  through  the  trackless  forests, 
scars  the  trees  with  his  ax,  so  that  he  will  find  his 
path  on  the  return  march,  so  these  border  ruffians 
blazed  a  path  through  the  beautiful  Kansas  coun- 
try, marking  every  turn,  halt  and  digression  by  a 
wanton  murder  or  a  cruel  assassination. 

In  the  route  they  took  was  the  little  town  of 
Aubrey,  nestling  on  the  border  line  of  Kansas. 
From  this  hamlet,  Quantrell  took  three  men  whom 
he  saw  sitting  before  a  store,  and  compelled  them 
to  accompany  his  band  as  guides. 

Rendering  their  captor  faithful  service,  the 
fidelity  induced  by  fear,  they  brought  the  whole 
force,  safely  and  expeditiously  to  Cole  Creek,  eight 
miles  from  Lawrence,  and  were  amply  rewarded  by 
the  facetious  guerilla.  Their  reward  was  death,  for 
Frank  and    Jesse    James,  obeying    the    stern   com- 


FRANK  JAMES. 


5  2  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  BAMD 

oiand,  led  the  doomed  men  to  a  little  grove  near 
?.t  hand,  and  shot  them  down  like  dogs. 

The  2istof  August  smiled  on  the  beautiful  land- 
3cape.  The  glorious  sun  shone  down  on  a  scene  of 
quietness  and  repose. 

The  town  of  Lawrence,  proud  of  its  young 
stiength,  awoke  to  labor  and  the  day's  work. 

Blissful  ignorance  was  theirs,  ignorance  of  im- 
pending disaster.  The  children  played  in  the  quiet 
streets,  and  the  housekeepers  were  busy  in  their 
domestic  pursuits.  The  men  had  gone  to  the  shop, 
store,  and  farm,  and  everything  reflected  content- 
ment and  plenty. 

But  yonder,  in  those  woods,  eight  little  miles 
from  the  happy  town,  a  long  line  of  mounted  men, 
serpented  its  vray  through  the  trees.  Like  a  huge 
and  slimy  anaconda,  it  twined  and  writhed,  each 
second  bringing  it  nearer  and  nearer  its  prey. 

Slowly  it  approached,  cruel  in  its  leisure,  until 
it  entered  the  confines  of  the  town,  then  suddenly 
a  black  flag  swept  past,  a  piercing  yell  hurtled 
through  the  startled  air,  there  was  the  swift  rush 
and  direful  thunder  of  horses'  hoofs,  and  Lawrence 
stood  before  her  destroyers. 

The  folds  of  the  dreaded  flag  told  the  terrified 
people  who  the  horsemen  were,  and  overpowered  by 
fear,  they  stood  trembling,  or  rushed  blindly, 
wildly,  in  every  direction.  But  bullets  are  swifter 
than  feet,  and  on  all  sides  the  demonical  crack  of 
the    revolver    told    of    death.     Men,     women    and 


C^%NiyAL  OF  HELL  33 

children  were  made  living  targets  for  these  creat- 
ures of  hell.  The  cry  of  the  wounded  was  drowned 
by  the  coarse  oaths  of  the  murderer,  and  the 
prayers  of  the  women  and  pleadings  of  the  men  were 
answered  by  ribald  facetiousness,  preliminary  to 
the  fatal  bullet. 

The  guerillas  were  intoxicated  with  blood.  Their 
excitement  at  fever-heat,  they  lost  all  semblance  to 
man,  and  became  incarnate  devils. 

In  this  dreadful  pandemonium,  Jesse  James,  and 
his  brother  Frank,  were  especially  conspicuous. 
The  youngest  of  the  band,  they  bore  themselves 
like  veterans.  On  every  hand  their  steady  aim  and 
ready  pistol  sought  for  victims.  Sixty  five  human 
beings  were  sent  before  their  maker  by  these  two 
men.  Jesse  James  shot  thirty  and  Frank  thirty- 
five. 

Quantrell  lost  no  time  in  killing  other  people. 
He  left  such  trifling  matters  to  his  subordinates. 
His  heart  was  set  on  one  object,  and  that  object 
was  Gen.  Jim  Lane,    the  leader    of    the  Jay-hawks. 

Every  house,  barn,  nook  and  corner  was  searched 
by  the  energetic  guerillas,  but  Lane  had  hid  himself, 
like  the  dastard  and  coward  that  he  was,  in  a  safe 
and  secure  cornfield. 

Foiled  in  this,    his  chief    aim,  Quantrell  became 
furious.     He  gave  the  order  to  fire  the  town,  "Spare 
women  and  children"  he  cried,  "but  death  to  every 
man,  and  hell  take  their  houses!" 
/esse  James  and  his  Band    3 


34  JESSE  JAMES  ^^D  HIS  'B^^D 

Then  was  hell  indeed  let  loose,  when  the  men 
found  that  Jim  Lane  had  escaped  them.  The  torch 
was  applied,  and  the  little  Kansas  town  was  soon 
in  ashes,  while  the  fleeing  inhabitants  were  shot 
down  like  rabbits. 

All  day  long  this  canrival  of  hell  lasted,  all  day 
long  murder  and  rapine  stalked  through  the  town, and 
destruction  claimed  it  for  its  own.  At  last  night, 
blessed,  merciful  night  came,  and  Quantrell  with- 
drew his  men,  but  Lawrence  was  no  more.  Where 
once  stood  the  houses  was  now  smoldering  ashes,  and 
the  ghastly  faces  of  the  murdered  ones  stared 
with  dead  eyes,  into  the  cold  night,  while  the 
evening  breeze  bore  the  sound  of  wailing,  deep 
bitter  weeping,  on  its  wings. 

But  Quantrell  heard  it  not.  He  was  fleeing, 
pursued  but  escaping  to  his  Missouri  fastness. 
Peril  beset  him  on  every  side.  The  Kansas 
militia  and  Federal  regulars  joined  forces  in  the 
chase,  and  though  seven  thousand  men  were  at  his 
heels,  Quantrell  crossed  the  line  and  was  soon  safe 
in  Clay  County. 

But  twenty  men  were  lost  from  the  band  in  this 
raid:  Is  it  to  be  wondered  that  Quantrell  should 
boast  that  his  life  was  charmed,  and  that  defeat 
would  never  be  his? 


CHAPTER    V 

quantrell's  guerillas  reorganized 

mrs.    samuels  as  a  spy a   fatal   ambuscade the 

murder  of  captain  ransome seventy  fed- 
erals slaughtered forty  killed 

in  kansas a  pitched  battle 

the  guerillas  vic- 
TORIOUS 

For  over  a  month  Quantrell  kept  within  his  re- 
treat, but  his  busy  mind  was  planning  new  cam- 
paigns, envolving  future  combinations.  He  resolved 
to  re-organize  his  force,  dividing  it  into  small 
squads  of  twenty  or  thirty  men,  each  squad  under 
a  capable  officer.  By  so  doing  he  could  cover  an 
immense  area  of  country,  moving  with  increased 
celerity  because  of  the  comparatively  small  number 
to  be  moved.  Jesse  James  was  appointed  comman- 
der of  one  of  these  squads,  and  twenty  five  men 
were  detailed  under  him. 

Shortly  after  his  appointment,  he  was  informed 
by  his  mother,  Mrs.  Samuels,  whose  sharp  eyes 
and  keen  ears  were  ever  on  the  alert  to  discover 
the  movements  of  the  Federal  troops,  that  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers  in  the  blue  uniforms,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Ransom,  were  to  set  out  for 
Pleasant  Hill.     So    accurately    was    the    informa- 

35 


36  JBSSE  JAMES  Ai^D  HIS  BA^D 

tion  given,  that  Jesse  knew  the  hour  they  were  to 
start  and  the  route  over  which  they  would  march. 

His  plans  were  soon  made  and  speedily  put  into 
execution.  An  ambuscade  was  made,  and  when 
Captain  Ransom  was  well  in  the  confines  of  a  deep 
wood,  Jesse  gave  the  word,  and  from  a  score  of 
hidden  rifles,  the  unerring  bullets  of  the  bandits 
were  hurled  into  the  ranks  of  the  doomed  Federals. 

So  sudden  and  unexpected  was  the  attack,  that 
the  Union  troops  were  thrown  into  confusion,  which 
was  increased  when  a  second  volley  was  poured  upon 
them.  Then  came  the  wierd  guerilla  yell,  the 
fierce  charge,  and  impetuous,  irresistable  rush  of 
horsemen.  No  mercy  was  shown  by  the  victorious 
freebooters,  and  the  remnants  of  the  Union  cavalry 
turned  and  fled.  Out  of  one  hundred  men  who 
were  marching  toward  Pleasant  Hill,  less  than 
thirty  returned,  while  Jesse  James  lost  but  one 
man. 

His  brother  Frank,  who  fought  under  him,  boasted 
of  eight  men  who  had  fallen  from  his  fire,  while 
Jesse  vaunted  of  seven. 

A  week  had  scarcely  passed,  and  both  Frank  and 
Jesse  James,  at  the  head  of  fifty  men,  scored  another 
victory  for  the  black  flag. 

The  affray  occurred  in  Bourbon  county,  Kansas, 
about  five  miles  from  Fort  Scott.  Captain  Blum, 
a  Federal  offllcer,  commanding  a  company  of  seventy- 
five  mounted  infantry,  was  traversing  the  country 
road,  when  suddenly  a  wild    yell   broke  upon  thei/ 


<^  "PITCHED  BATTLE  37 

ears,  and  the  guerillas  were  upon  them.  Again 
and  again  the  dreaded  revolvers  spoke,  and  forty 
Union  men  sank  from  their  horses,  killed  by  outlaw 
bullets.  Utterly  demoralized,  the  Federals  fled, 
leaving  their  dead  upon  the  field,  to  be  despoiled 
by  their  inhuman  murderers. 

Up  to  this  time  QuantrelPs  men  had  things  their 
own  way.  Their  peculiar  tactics,  sudden  appear- 
ances and  unerring  revolvers  had  won  them  succes- 
sive victories  in  the  easiest  manner,  but,  the  next 
affray  in  which  tlie  James  brothers  were  engaged 
was  more  in  the  nature  of  a  pitched  battle. 

George  Ford  was  in  command  of  the  guerillas 
this  time,  with  the  James  brothers  as  lieutenants. 

They  attacked  a  strong  company  of  the  Second 
Colorado  Cavalry,  under  a  Captain  Wagner.  Pur- 
suing their  usual  tactics,  the  guerillas  first  fired 
from  ambush,  and  then  charged,  but  Captain  Wag- 
ner, rallying  his  men,  reformed  them,  and  met  the 
bandit  charge  by  a  counter-charge.  The  conflict 
became  a  hand  to  hand  affair.  Sabers  were  used, 
and  the  rebel  yell  was  answered  by  Union  cheers. 
Again  and  again  Ford  hurled  his  men  against  the 
little  force  in  blue,  and  again  and  again  the  plucky 
Federals  resisted  the  onslaught.  Jesse  James  fought 
like  a  demon.  Giving  his  horse  free  head,  with  a 
revolver  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other,  he 
was  always  in  the  very  thickest  of  the  fight. 
Cleaving  his  way  frantically  through  the  wall  of 
Colorado  men,  he  reached  the  side  of  Captaia  Wag- 


SS  JESSE  J^MES  c^ATO  HIS  B^N'D 

ner,  and,  taking  advantage  of  a  chance  opportunity, 
he  drew  on  that  gallant  officer,  and  sent  a  bullet 
through  his  heart. 

With  the  loss  of  their  captain,  the  troops  became 
demoralized,  and  fled.  With  brutal  ferocity,  the 
guerillas  deliberately  killed  all  the  Union 
wounded,  either  by  the  bullet  or  with  the  sword, 
leaving  their  bodies  to  rot  on  the  open  prairie. 


CHAPTER  VI 

FRANK  JAMES  ON  A  SCOUT 

HE  KILLS  TWO    MEN THE  BATTLE    OF    HARRISONVILLE— « 

QUANTRELL     REPULSED — DEFEATED     AGAIN     AT 

FLAT     ROCK      FORD — JESSE     WOUNDED 

SAVED     BY      HIS     COMRADES QUAN- 
TRELL'SUFFERS  A  DISASTROUS 

DEFEAT A  GALLANT 

DEED 

This  fresh  outrage  spurred  the  Federals  to 
renewed  activity,  and  their  forces  were  massed 
upon  Harrisonville,  ready  for  an  offensive  and  ener- 
getic campaign  against  Quantrell. 

The  latter  sent  Frank  James  to  ascertain  their 
position,  number  and  disposition.  The  perilous 
task  was  awarded  Frank  because  of  his  bravery  and 
craftiness.  He  rode  directly  for  Harrisonville, 
until  he  was  within  sight  of  the  Union  pickets. 

Awaiting  until  the  night  set  in,  he  left  his  horse 
concealed  in  a  belt  of  timber  and  started  on  his 
scout.  Finding  a  negro  who  was  well  informed, 
he  drew  from  him  all  the  desired  facts  and  then 
started  back  to  his  horse.  Before  reaching  the 
animal  he  was  discovered  by  two  of  the  guards, 
who  challenged  him.  He  answered  them  with  his 
revolver,  killing  one  and  mortally  wounding  the 
39 


40  JESSE  JAMES  <^(7^  HIS  Bz^^V 

©ther,  then,  leisurely  mounting,  he  rode  away  leav- 
ing the  camp  in  an  uproar. 

Two  days  after  this  escapade,  August  i6th,  1864, 
Quantrell  made  an  attack  upon  the  Harrisonville 
garrison,  and  met  with  defeat. 

The  soldiers,  warned  fore-hand,  were  ready,  and 
repulsed  the  guerillas  with  great  loss. 

Suffering  the. throes  of  humiliation,  the  chagrined 
outlaws  withdrew,  venting  their  spleen  in  deep 
oaths,  and -anxious  to  redeem  themselves. 

Hearing  that  a  band  of  Union  volounteers  were 
encamped  near  Flat  Rock  Ford,  they  pushed  on 
in  that  direction  and  again  inglorious  defeat  was 
their  rev/ard.  Here  Jesse  James  received  his  first 
wound,  and  but  for  the  fidelity  of  his  comrades  it 
would  have  been  his  last. 

A  musket  ball  struck  him  on  the  breast,  passing 
through  and  tearing  away  a  portion  of  his  left  lung. 

He  fell  from  his  horse,  apparently  lifeless,  but, 
at  the  risk  of  their  own  lives,  sacred  to  their 
oath,  Arch  Clement  and  John  Janette  rode  back  in 
the  face  of  the  terrible  volleys,  and  rescued  the 
fallen  man.  He  was  carried  to  the  home  of  a 
sympathizer  and  for  many  days  hovered  between 
death  and  life,  but  his  magnificent  constitution 
pulled  him  through,  and  by  the  first  week  in  Sep- 
tember, he  was  able  to  mount  his  horse,  and  fight 
again 

On  the  1 6th  day  of  this  month,  while  on  his  way 
to. Kearney    he  shot    and    killed    three    men    who 


THE  GUERILLAS   DEFEATED  41 

opposed  his  way,  and  the  next  day  rode  twenty-nine 
miles  to  give  Todd  tidings  of  the  Federal  forces. 

Three  days  after,  the  20th  of  September,  Quan- 
trell's  band  met  with  a  disastrous  defeat. 

The  whole  force  made  an  attack  on  Fayette,  Mis- 
souri. Quantrelland  Anderson  commanded,  with 
Poole,  Clements  and  Todd  in  charge  of  divisions. 
Every  charge  of  the  guerillas  was  met  and  repulsed 
by  the  Federals,  who  stood  their  ground  in  the  face 
of  the  most  furious  onslaughts.  Time  and  again 
Quantrell  hurled  his  troops  against  the  Union  for- 
ces, and  time  and  again  they  withdrew,  leaving 
dead  and  wounded  before  the  victorious  blue  coats. 

Jesse  James  redeemed  the  defeat  in  part  by  a 
noble  action,  in  rescuing  Lee  McMurtry,  one  of 
Anderson's  dare-devils,  who  fell,  fearfully  wounded, 
right  under  the  guns  of  the  Federals. 

Despite  the  terrible  risk,  Jesse  rode  back  in  the 
face  of  almost  certain  death,  and  dragged  his 
friend  into  safety.  It  was  a  gallant  deed,  worthy 
a  better  eause. 


X 


CHAPTER  VII 

"raiding  the  joint" 

an  uprorious   debauch   stilled ten  men  deliber 

ately  slaughtered a  sickening  spectacle 

—frank  saves  a  lad a  deed  of 

mercy a  day  of  blood a 

massacre  at  central! a 

thirty-five  union 

men  killed 
Four  miles  east  of  Wellington,  in  Lafayette 
County,  there  stood  a  road  house,  filled  with 
courtesans  and  coarse  women  of  ill-repute.  Their 
patrons,  at  this  time,  were  the  Federal  soldiers 
quartered  near  the  locality,  and  the  place  became 
notorious  on  account  of  the  shamelessness  of  the 
inmates,  and  the  flagrant  indecency  of  their 
debaucheries. 

One  night,  Quantrell  detailed  Frank  James,  and  a 
squad  of  five  men  to  "raid  the  joint." 

Arriving  witkin  a  short  distance,  Frank  halted  his 
men,  and  dismounting,  stealthily  crept  forward  to 
reconnoitre.  Through  the  chinks  of  the  walls,  he 
peered  into  the  house,  and  saw  the  place  was  full  of 
soldiers.  Eleven  of  them  were  engaged  in  carrying 
on  a  Bacchanalian  carnival,  ably  assisted  by  the  fair 
damsels,  who  threw  off  their  morals  as  they  did 
their  clothing,  for  they  were  nearly  all  naked, 

43 


%AIDI^G  THE  JOINT  43 

The  scene  presented  to  the  eye  peering  into  the 
room  was  one  of  vulgar  voluptuousness  in  its  most 
shameful  degree.  Locked  in  each  others  embrace, 
the  nude  revelers  whirled  around  the  low  room, 
shouting  and  yelling  in  the  very  extreme  of  utter 
abandon.  Lewd  songs  and  ribald  choruses  were 
roared,  and  the  fiery  whiskey  was  quaffed  like  so 
much  water.  Faster  and  more  furious  grew  the 
fun,  and  the  bagnio  became  the  scene  of  an 
uproarious  debauch;  when  suddenly,  shrill  yells 
resounded  without,  and  the  Bacchanalians  were 
instantly  sobered.  They  knew  the  meaning  of  that 
unearthly  yell. 

"The  guerillas!  The  guerillas!"  shrieked  the 
women,  rushing  aimlessly  about  the  house. 

The  door  was  opened  with  a  crash,  and,  revolver 
in  hand,  Frank  James  appeared  to  the  terrorized 
debauchees. 

"Come  out  here,  you  men,"  he  shouted,  "every  d — d 
one  of  you.  You  sluts,"  he  said  to  the  women, "dry 
your  yapping,  you're  too  d — d  dirty  to  touch." 

Resistance  was  useless,  and  ten  of  the  men  passed 
outside.  They  had  scarcely  passed  the  door  when 
a  volley  was  poured  into  them,  and  every  man 
dropped  where  he  stood. 

Frank  James,  who  had  counted  eleven  men  and 
eleven  women,  at  once  instituted  a  search  for  the 
eleventh  man,  but  he  could  not  be  found.  Then 
Frank  noticed  there  were  twelve  wom^en,  and,  search- 
ing further,  found  the  man.     He  was  but  little  more 


44    ^     JESSE  J^MES  AND  HIS  "B^^ND 

tkan  a  boy,  a  lad  with  beardless  face  and  blue  eyes. 
He  was  the  lover  of  one  of  the  creatures  there,  who 
deftly  and  quickly  threw  a  dress  on  him  at  the  first 
alarm,  and  he  would  have  passed  or  a  woman  but  or 
Frank's  sharp  eyes. 

In  vain  the  women  prayed  and  pleaded.  The  boy 
was  dragged  forward  to  the  redoubtable  leader.  As 
he  passed  by,  he  could  see  the  forms  and  faces  of 
his  ten  comrades,  still  and  stiff  in  the  ghastly 
moonlight.  Such  would  be  his  fate,  and  his  heart 
failed  him.  As  he  came  to  Frank,  the  poor  lad 
trembled  in  every  limb. 

"Come  along,"  said  Frank,  "and  be  shot" 

With  a  terror-stricken  heart,  the  lad  followed  the 
cold  blooded  murderer  to  a  thicket  near  at  hand. 

"Here's  a  good  place,"  said  James,  looking  coolly 
at  his  revolver. 

"Oh,  spare  me,  spare  me!"  pleaded  the  poor  fel- 
low, "I  never  did  you  any  harm.  Let  me  go  for  my 
mother's  sake.  It  would  break  her  heart  if  I  should 
die  this  way,  and  near  that  house." 

For  a  second  Frank  looked  at  him,  the  bright 
moon  weaving  its  way  through  the  leaves  fell  upon 
the  tear-stained  face  of  the  lad.  Cocking  his  re- 
volver he  slowly  drew  it  up,  and  fired  it  over  the 
boy's  head. 

"Go,  boy!"  he  said,  and  returned  to  his  com- 
mand. 

This  deed  of  mercy  Frank  James  kept  to  himself. 
It  would    be  difEeiftlt   to  determine   what    change 


m^SS^CRE  ^AT  CBNrR<^LM  45 

of    heart,    acting   so    suddenly,    brought   about   the 
merciful  deed,  but,   as  he  afterwards  said: 

"I  reckon  the  old  woman  was  glad  to  get  her  kid 
back  safe." 

The  27th  of  September,  1864,  came.  One  of  the 
darkest  days  in  the  history  of  Missouri,  and  a  day 
ever  to  be  remembered  with  tears,  curses,  and  shud- 
derings  by  the  inhabitants  of  Centralia. 

Bill  Anderson,  a  human  tiger  in  the  guise  of  a 
man,  was  the  bravest,  most  desperate,  bloody  and 
atrocious  of  all  QuantrelPs  men.  He  was  next  in 
command,  and  even,  at  times,  ranked  equally  with 
the  guerilla  chief.  He  resolved,  for  some  fancied 
wrong,  to  perpetrate  a  massacre  upon  Centralia. 

This  little  village  was  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  Boone  county,  on  the  line  of  the  St.  L.  K.  & 
N.  R.  R. 

Before  the  Centralians  had  the  first  inkling  of 
their  approach,  the  guerillas,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
strong,  dashed  through  their  streets. 

It  was  the  repetition  of  other  such  scenes;  wan- 
ton slaughter;  reckless  taking  of  life;  rifled  domi- 
ciles, and  outraged  women.  Every  house  was 
pillaged,  and  the  inhabitants  driven  out.  Then 
Anderson  drew  his  villainous  crew  up  in  line  before 
the  railway  station.  A  train  came  along  with  five 
coaches  well  filled  with  passengers,  soldiers  and 
citizens.  At  once  the  passengers  were  ordered  from 
the  cars,  and  made  to  form  a  line. 

Separating    the  soldiers  from   the   civilians,  they 


46  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  "BAND 

were  marched  a  little  distance,  when,  at  the  sharp 
command,  the  ever  fatal  revolvers  spoke,  and 
thirty-five  men  in  the  blue  uniform  of  the  Union 
fell  dead  without  a  groan. 

The  remaining  passengers  were  then  robbed, 
and  allowed  to  go  on  their  way. 

This  scene  had  scarcely  been  enacted,  before 
another  drama  took  place.  The  guerillas  were 
suddenly  attacked  by  a  body  of  Iowa  volunteers 
under  Major  Johnson,  who   had    ridden   into    town. 

A  fierce  and  bloody  conflict  ensued,  and  for  a 
time,  it  looked  as  if  the  lowans  would  win,  but 
George  Todd,  intrepid  and  desperate,  burst  through 
the  lines,  followed  by  Jesse  and  Frank  James,  and 
soon  the  poor  Federals  were  routed.  Jesse,  who 
had  marked  Major  Johnson  as  his  game,  drew  near 
him,  and  sent  a  bullet  through  his  heart. 

This  ended  the  fray.  The  remaining  Unionists 
fled  in  every  direction  leaving  seventy  of  their 
number  on  the  field. 

One  hundred  and  fifteen  men  were  killed  that 
day  by  Anderson  and  his  bandits.  Can  anyone 
marvel  that  the  devil  takes  care  of  his  own? 

But  the  day  of  retribution  was  coming,  slowly, 
ah!  so  slowly,  but  it  was  coming.  The  tide  of 
fortune  turned  against  the  guerillas  shorty  after 
the  James  brothers  induced  an  old  man  by  the 
name  of  Banes,  to  accompany  them  a  short  distance 
from  his  home;  need  it  be  said  they  ruthlessly 
butchered  him? 


JESSE  ]VOUNT>E'D  47 

They  shot  him  down  like  a  cur,  and  left  his 
corpse,  with  its  grey  hair  outlined  against  the  dark 
road,  for  the  next  passer  by  to  discover. 

The  tide  was  turning.  Quantrell's  band  was 
gradually  breaking  up.  Too  many  of  the  company 
had  fallen  to  rise  no  more  on  earth.  Death  had 
been  rather  busy,  and  the  task  of  digging  graves 
was  laborious.  Jesse  James  was  wounded  again. 
George  Todd  was  killed  in  a  skirmish,  and  before 
December  had  closed,  Quantrell  had  followed  his 
trusty  lieutenant  to  that  home  from  which  no  man 
returneth.  He  died  in  captivity,  fighting  to  the 
last,  pierced  by  many  bullets,  at  last  falling  with 
an  empty  revolver  and  a  broken  sword.  Mortally 
wounded,  he  was  captured  by  his  foes,  who,  more 
humane  than  himself,  conveyed  him  to  a  hospital, 
and  he  breathed  his  last,  beside  the  falls  of  the 
OhiO;i  in  Louisville. 


CHAPTER  Vlll 

A  DASH  INTO  INDIAN  TERRITORY 

©REEK  MEETS   GREEK A   PITCHED    BATTLE    BETWEEN  GU- 
ERILLAS  JESSE    KILLS    CAPTAIN    GOSS A   DES- 
PERATE   CHANCE THE     LEAP     FOR     LIFE 

MURDER    OF    HARKNESS THE     GUER- 
ILLAS   SURRENDER JESSE    AGAIN 

WOUNDED 

Strangely  enough,  neither  of  the  James  boyi 
were  with  their  chief  when  he  fought  his  last 
battle.  Jesse  had  gone  with  George  Shepard  and 
fifty  men,  for  a  raid  through  Texas,  and  Frank 
James  had  left,  a  few  days  previous  to  the  affray, 
for  a  visit. 

It  was  late  in  the  Fall  of  this  terrible  year  of 
1864,  terrible  in  its  results  for  poor  bleeding 
Missouri,  that  George  Shepard,  taking  Jesse  James 
and  half  a  hundred  of  the  most  desperate  of  Quan- 
trelPs  band,  left  Missouri  for  Texas. 

The  trail  through  the  Indian  Territory  was  beset 
by  perils,  and  eternal  vigilance  was  the  order  of 
the  day.  The  Indians  were  on  the  warpath  against 
such  intruders  as  the  freebooters,  and,  if  the  guer- 
illas were  desperate  and  brave  the  Indians  were 
crafty  and  cruel. 

For  a  time  the  outlaws  pursued  the  even  tenor  of 

48 


MURTfER  OF  C^APTAIN  GOSS  49 

their  ways  unmolested.  Their  large  number  and 
perfect  discipline,  together  with  their  well  known 
courage  caused  them  to  be  respected. 

This  comfortable  condition  of  affairs  lasted  until 
the  last  of  November,  when  they  found  their  path 
blockaded  by  a  band  of  Union  troops — militia — 
under  Capt.  Emmett  Goss.  The  band  was  a  quasi- 
guerilla  organization,  celebrated  through  Texas  for 
its  wild  daring,  and  audacious  bravery.  It  was  a 
■case  of  "Greek  meet  Greek", 

Goss  was  just  returning  from  a  wild  raid  through 
Arkansas,  and  had  been  emminently  successful. 
The  consequence  of  this  chance  meeting  was  a  wild 
sanguinary  contest.  Both  commanders,  Shepard 
and  Goss  were  tried  veterans  in  irregular  warfare, 
and  their  men  were  desperate  and  reckless.  Like 
two  ferocious  dogs  about  to  fight,  the  two  com- 
panies faced  each  other,  slowly  circling  around, 
each  trying  to  get  the  slight  advantage  of  position. 

Then  came  a  simultanous  yell,  and  with  a  crash 
of  thunder,  the  7ne/ee  began.  Back  and  forth  the 
contestants  rushed,  turned  and  returned  and  charged. 

Again  and  again  the  demoniac  yell  of  QuantrelPs 
men  was  answered  by  the  wild  shouts  of  the 
Texans.  But  Shephard  won,  for  Jesse  James,  who 
fought  like  a  tigress  despoiled  of  her  whelps, 
forced  his  furious  way  towards  Capt.  Goss,  and,  in 
quick  succession,  put  two  bullets  into  him.  One 
through  the  brain  and  the  other  through  the  heart. 
hss£  James  and  his  Band    4 


50  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

Elated  with  their  victory,  Shepherd's  command 
resumed  its  march  over  the  beautiful  prairies  of 
the  Indian  Territory.  It  was  a  perilous  journey. 
The  Cherokee  Indians  were  favorable  to  the  Union 
troops,  and  Shepherd's  command  was  continually 
harrassed  after  his  victory  over  Goss. 

The  hawk-eyed  red-men  surrounded  him  on 'all 
sides,  and  his  men  continually  held  their  arms  for  in^ 
stant  service.  At  any  time,  a  band  of  their  redskin 
antagonists  might  appear  around  a  belt  of  timber, 
and  the  fearful  war-whoop  resound  in  their  ears. 
To  stray  from  the  column  was  hazardous  in  the  ex- 
treme, as  Jesse  James  discovered,  nearly  at  the 
cost  of  his  life. 

Two  days  after  the  affray  with  the  Texans,  Jesse 
Was  riding  alone,  skirting  the  banks  of  a  stream. 
His  horse  was  tired,  and  he  was  looking  for  a  good 
place  to  dismount  and  rest,  when,  without  previous 
warning,  a  band  of  Cherokee  Indians  came  in  sight. 
As  soon  as  he  was  discovered,  they  raised  their  war- 
whoops,  and  dashed  after  him  in  furious  pursuit. 
They  were  speedily  mounted,  and  Jesse  knew  they 
were  sure  shots.  There  was  nothing  for  him  to 
do  but  to  run  for  it. 

Clapping  the  cruel  spurs  into  the  sides  of  his 
exhausted  horse,  he  fled,  but  soon  found  the  pursu- 
ing Indians  gaining.  He  was  alone  on  the  prairie. 
No  friendly  thicket,  no  cottonwood  belt  offered  pro- 
tection.    No  band  of   comrades  was  at  hand  to  aid. 

He  was  alone  on  a  horse  already  tired  out. 


<^  LEAP  FOR  LIFE  51 

There  was  but  one  chance,  a  desperate  chance 
for  him.  He  must  leap  a  precipice  which  fell 
down  to  a  stream.  Sure  death  behind,  a  trifling 
chance  before,  and  he  took  it. 

Straight  for  the  rocky  ledge  he  rode,  and,  with  a 
shout  of  defiance,  both  rider  and  horse  leaped  into^ 
awful  space. 

But  Jesse  James  bore  a  charmed  life,  and  his 
horse  fell  into  a  deep  pool  of  water,  and  was  not 
injured.  He  regained  the  land,  and  making  a  wide 
detour,  reached  camp  in  safety. 

After  spending  a  quiet  winter  in  Texas,  Shepherd 
broke  camp,  and  set  back  for  Missouri,  experienc- 
ing a  great  deal  of  trouble  from  the  Indians  on  the 
march.  Hardly  had  the  guerillas  arrived  in  their 
beloved  Missouri,  when  the  devoted  state  knew  that 
its  old  pests  were  returned.  At  once  the  machinery 
of  murder  and  assassination  was  started,  and  April 
of  '65  placed  another  cold-blooded  deed  against  Jesse 
James'  record. 

James  Harkness,  of  Benton  County,  had,  all  through 
the  war,  been  a  fearless,  outspoken  Unionist.  He 
displayed  his  opinions  openly  and  courageously, 
ever  expressing  them  with  reckless  disregard  for 
his  life. 

He  was  especially  outspoken  against  the  dastardly 
outrages  committed  by  QuantrelPs  men,  and  was 
particularly  bitter  in  his  denunciations  against  the 
James  brothers. 

Jesse,  aided  by  twelve  of  his  comrades,  captured 


S^  JESSE  J^MES  AND  HIS  BAND 

Harkness,  and,  while  his  two  friends  held  him, 
Jesse  coolly  and  deliberately  drew  his  keen  bowie 
knife  across  the  Union  man's  throat,  and  threw  the 
dead  body  into  the  ditch. 

A  few  days  after,  another  Union  man  of  the  same 
type  was  ruthlessly  slaughtered  by  Jesse  James, 
in  spite  of  gray  hairs  and  pleading  prayers.  This 
occurred  near  Kingsville,  Johnson  County. 

In  May,  1865,  a  number  of  guerillas  surrendered 
to  the  United  States  authorities,  with  certain  of 
the  Confederate  troops,  but  Jesse  James  refused  and, 
with  a  small  number  of  choice  spirits,  continued 
to  range  the  country  as  of  old.  On  one  of  these 
forays,  they  ran  against  a  body  of  Federal  troops, 
who  immediately  charged,  and  a  furious  fight  com- 
menced. The  bandits  suffered  an  irredeemable 
defeat.  Jesse  receiving  another  severe  wound  in 
the  lung,  and  was  left  in  the  woods  for  dead.  But 
again  he  recovered,  and  finally  joined  his  brother 
in  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  until  he  had 
recovered  to  some  degree,  when  he  journeyed  back 
to  Missouri,  and  was  secreted  in  his  mother^s 
house. 


CHAPTER    IX 

JESSE  AND  FRANK  BRAVE  MEN 

YOUNG  LADS  BUT  TRIED  VETERANS TIRED  OF  THEIR  WILD 

LIFE FRANK  IN  BRANDENBURG,   KY. ARRESTED 

FOR    HORSE     STEALING KILLS    THREE  MEN 

AND    ESCAPES TERRIBLY  WOUNDED 

A     POSSE    ATTEMPTS     TO    ARREST 

JESSE HE    KILLS  FOUR  MEN 

^JOINS     FRANK THE 

BAND   ORGAN- 
IZED 

The  narrator  of  this  little  sketch  has  no  desire 
to  pose  as  an  apologist  for  Jesse  James  or  his  elder 
brother,  Frank.  He  has  no  wish  to  lessen  the 
approbrium  attached  to  their  names.  He  does  not 
justify  any  of  their  deeds. 

He  recognizes  the  undeniable  fact  that  they  were 
bad,  cruel,  villainous  murderers>  whose  hands  were 
fairly  reeking  with  innocent  blood. 

At  the  same  time,  justice  and  candor  compels 
him  to  bear  testimony  to  their  courage  and  bravery. 
He  cannot  help  but  admire  their  superb  horseman- 
ship, and  their  unequaled  skill  with  fire  arms. 

They  seldom  hesitated  to  meet  the  greatest  odds 
against  them,  relying  on  these  latter  qualifications 
to  carry  them  through  unscathed,  and  the  wonder 
inspired  by  the  narration  of  their  wild    exploits  is 

53 


54  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

increased,  when  it  is  remembered  that  both  were 
young  men.  Frank  James  was  but  twenty-four, 
and  Jesse  a  mere  lad  of  twenty. 

Yet  they  were  already  old  veterans,  tried  and 
experienced  campaigners.  The  voice  of  the  revol- 
ver, the  ping  of  the  rifle  ball,  the  ringing  clash 
of  swords,  and  the  wild  glare  of  battle  were  famil- 
iar to  their  ears  and  eyes. 

For  four  years  they  had  led  roving,  desperate 
and  ensanguined  lives.  They  had  been  hunted  and 
followed  through  wild  morasses,  and  over  vast 
plains. 

The  cold  biting  winds  of  winter,  and  the  fierce 
heat  of  the  summer's  sun  had  bronzed  their  skins, 
and  hardened  their  bodies. 

The  tumult  of  battle  and  the  mad  excitement 
of  the  guerilla  charge  had  kept  their  blood  at  a 
fever  heat,  and  they  were  tired  of  it  all.  In- 
numerable wounds,  and  hard  privations  had  had 
a  salutory  effect,  and  the  young  outlaws  wanted 
rest. 

But  how  cruelly  true  it  is  that  "circumstances 
alter  cases,"  and  that  a  pebble,  thrown  by  a  baby 
hand,  may  change  the  current  of  a  mighty  river. 

Jesse  was  home  with  his  mother,  recuperating 
after  the  damaging  results  of  his  last  affair,  while 
Frank,  who  had  been  paroled  at  Samuel's  Depot, 
Kentucky,  in  July,  was  still  in  that  state. 

Like  Jesse,  he  had  grown  weary  of  the  passions 
and  strife  of  war,  and,  with    a    firm   determination 


FRANK  ^AT  BRANDENBURG  55 

to  settle  down,  gave  his  parole  to  the  proper  au- 
thorities, and  so,  was  included  in  the  Amnesty  Act. 

The  termination  of  the  war  let  loose  upon  the 
community,  the  great  mass  of  camp  followers, 
guerillas,  bush  whackers,  and  camp-bummers  who 
had  hung  on  the  skirts  of  the  contending  armies,  as 
the  skulking  jackals  follow  the  lion,  picking  up 
and  fighting  over  his  leavings,  preying  on  all  sides, 
irrespective  of  partisanship. 

The  cessation  of  hostilities  took  the  regular 
troops  from  the  field,  and  the  irregulars  found  their 
occupation,  or  rather  opportunites  gone. 

This  being  the  case,  they  turned  their  undivided 
attention  to  robbing  and  pillaging  anything  from 
a  hen-coop  to  a  bank.  Horse-stealing  especially 
flourished  and  the  farms  and  stock  raisers  of  Ken- 
tucky suffered  from  their  depredations. 

Brandenburg,  a  town  in  Mead  County,  on  the 
Ohio  River,  was  a  sort  of  rendezvous  for  the  gentry 
who  were  so  careless  with  other  people's  horses, 
and  the  surrounding  country  was  up  in  arms,  and 
indignation  rose  to  a  white  heat. 

As  Frank  James,  mounted  on  his  splendid  charger, 
entered  the  town,  he  was  noted.  He  was  a  stranger, 
and  was  bestride  as  fine  a  bit  of  horse-flesh  as  ever 
pleased  the  tastes  of  the  Kentuckians,  and  this,  to 
their  suspicious  eyes,  was  prima  facie  evidence 
that  he  was  a  horse-thief. 

He  entered  the  town  quietly,  ignorant  of  the  pre- 


56  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

vailing  sentiment,  and  proceeded  to   make  himseli 
comfortable  at  the  hotel. 

He  was  sitting  quietly  in  the  office  of  the  cara- 
vansary, when  his  peaceful  revery  was  rudely  broken 
by  the  abrupt  entrance  of  five  men,  well  armed, 
and  determined. 

The  leader, — a  fine  specimen  of  manly  form, 
stepped  up  to  the  unsuspicious  ex-guerilla,  and 
placing  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  remarked:  "I 
arrest  you  as  a  horse-thief!" 

At  once  Frank  grasped  the  situation,  but,  accus- 
tomed to  such  sudden  dangers,  he  betrayed  no  fear 
or  excitement.  There  was  nothing  about  him  to 
alarm  his  would-be  captors.  He  was  a  young  man 
of  twenty  five,  bronzed  by  the  sun,  and  attired  in 
ordinary  clothing,  so,  without  undue  harshness,  the 
leader  of     the  posse,  said,  almost  pleasantly: 

"Will  you  consider  yourself  under  arrest?" 

"I  consider  no  such  proposition."  was  the 
rather  unexpected  reply,  and  before  a  movement 
further  could  be  made,  his  quick  hands  sought  and 
found  his  revolvers,  there  was  a  double  report, 
closely  followed  by  a  third,  and  three  men  were 
writhing  in  mortal  agony  upon  the  floor.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  posse  fled:  but  one,  as  he  ran, 
ventured  a  shot,  which  well  nigh  rid  the  world  of 
Frank  James.  The  shot  made  a  gaping  wound  in 
the  hip,  and  Frank  reeled  in  agony.  But  his 
blood  was  up.  The  old-time  spirit  was  aroused, 
and    he  was    again    the    relentless    dare-devil    of 


FRANK  A  T  B%4NDENB URG  5  7 

Quantrell's  band.  Crawling  to  a  post,  he  raised 
himself  to  an  erect  posture,  and  with  his  terrible 
eye,  and  more  terrible  revolver,  held  the  aroused 
villagers  at  bay. 

In  the  crowd  which  surrounded  him,  was  a  young 
man,  one  of  the  guerilla  bands  of  the  war,  who 
recognized  the  wounded  desperado  holding  the  mob 
in  check.  With  his  horse  the  young  fellow  dashed 
forward  and  swinging  Frank  behind  him,  urged  the 
steed  to  its  utmost  speed,  followed  by  the  impre- 
cations and  bullets  of  the  angry  and  cheated 
populace. 

His  preserver  took  him  to  a  safe  hiding  place, 
and  nursed  him  back  to  health,  but  Frank  never 
recovered  from  that  chance  shot,  nor  will  he  as 
long  as  he  lives. 

It  was  months  of  severe  suffering  for  the  wounded 
man,  but  he  lived. 

In  the  meantime  the  pebble  which  changed  the 
course  of  Jesse  James'  destiny,  was  cast  into  his  life 
stream. 

He  had  but  just  sought  the  shelter  of  his  mater- 
nal home,  when  the  country  was  electrified  by  the 
news  that  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Liberty  had 
been  robbed  of  $70,000. 

People  immediately  connected  the  James  boys 
with  the  crime,  but  it  is  due  to  them  to  state  that 
neither  had  any  hand  in  it. 

Frank  lay  dangerously  wounded  in  Kentucky,  and 


58  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

Jesse,  just  out  of  bed  from  a  severe  wound,  was  to© 
weak  and  feeble  to  think  of  such  an  attempt. 

Be  it  as  it  may,  the  people  said  the  James  broth- 
ers had  a  finger  in  the  pie,  and  that  settled  it,  and 
a  party  of  men,  who  had  somehow  learned  that 
Jesse  James  was  at  his  mother's  house,  determined 
to  pay  off  some  old  scores,  and  deliver  him  up  to 
the  authorities. 

So,  on  the  night  of  the  i8th  of  February,  foun 
days  after  the  robbery,  six  well  armed  men  rode  upj 
to  the  residence  of  Dr.   Samuels.  . 

Jesse,  who  was  tossing  on  a  fevered  bed,  upstairs,^ 
heard  the  sounds  of  hoofs,  and  his  suspicions  were 
aroused.  They  were  confirmed  when  he  heard  the, 
horsemen  enter  the  yard,  and  knock  loudly  and 
emphatically  upon  the  door. 

Dr.  Samuels  answered  the  knock,  pretending  to 
have  trouble  with  the  lock,  to  gain  time. 

By  this  time  Jesse  was  up  and  armed,  and  stand- 
ing beside  his  step-father. 

"What  shall  I  do?  whispered  the  old  gentleman. 

"Open  the  door  when  I  tell  you,"  and  Jesse 
cocked  both  revolvers. 

The  knocking  was  renewed  impatiently,  and  a 
rough  voice  shouted: 

"Open  this  d — d  door,  or  we'll  smash  in  the 
panel." 

"Have  a  second's  patience,"  replied  the  doctor, 
"there's  something  the  matter  with  the  blamed 
lock, 


<^TTEMPT  TO  <^RREST  JESSE  S9 

^'Kfing  out  that  murdering  thief,  Jesse  James/ 
)relle6  the  knocker,  "bring  out  the  d — d  scoundrel." 

The  answer  came,  and  was  disastrous,  for,  open- 
ing the  door,  Jesse  fired  with  unerring  precision, 
and  two  men  fell,  their  blood  trickling  upon  the 
white  snow. 

Then  the  other  four  saw  the  terrible  figure  full 
in  the  moonlight.  His  blazing  eyes  set  in  the 
white  face,  and  glancing  over  the  barrels  of  the 
trusty  revolvers.  Again  they  spoke,  and  two  more 
of  the  panic-stricken  volunteers  were  sent  to  their 
last  accounts. 

The  remainder,  leaping  on  their  horses,  fled  as  if 
the  imps  of  hell  were  at  their  heels,  and  riding 
back  to  town  told  their  tale,  detailing  the  awful 
facts  with  gross  exaggerations. 

A  solemn  determination  was  taken.  The  people 
had  grown  weary  of  this  reckless  blood  letting, 
and  it  was  determined  that  Jesse  James  must     die. 

Accordingly,  fifty  men,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
returned  to  Samuel's  house,  and  demanded  of  Mrs. 
Samuels  that  Jesse  be  delivered  up  to  them;  but 
Jesse  was  miles  away.  Sick,  and  feeble  as  he  was — 
trembling  with  fever,  he  had  mounted  his  horse, 
had  gone  to  a  safer  and  more  retired  locality. 
Waiting  a  few  days  to  recover  as  much  strength  as 
possible,  he  started  on  a  long  and  painful  journey 
for  Kentucky,  where  he  found  Frank,  still  suffering 
from  his  wounded  hip.  But  still  Jesse  did  not 
recover.    For  months  he  lay  upon  a  sick  bed,  suffer- 


6o  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  BANB 

\n%  untold  agonies.  At  last,  he  determined  to  seelj 
the  best  medical  attention,  and  In  October  of  1867, 
went  to  Nashville  and  puthlmself  under  the  care  of 
Dr.  Paul  F.  Eve,  a  well  known  surgeon. 

It  was  not  until  the  spring  of  '68  that  he  felt 
so  far  recovered  that  he  could  be  considered  con- 
valescent. He  then  joined  Frank  at  Chaplin, 
where  the  wounded  outlaw  was  In  hiding. 

In  this — their  retreat,  the  two  brothers  took 
council  together. 

The  affair  at  Brandenburg,  and  Jesse's  affray  at 
home,  decided  the  course  of  their  future  lives. 

Every  crime  of  any  magnitude,  no  matter  in  what 
locality  the  crime  was  located,  was  charged  to  the 
James  brothers.  If  a  bank  was  robbed  in  Kansas, 
and  two  hours  later  another  was  despoiled  in 
Kentucky,  the  James  brothers  did  it.  If  a  man 
was  found  dead,  murdered,  upon  a  lonely  road  in 
Missouri,  and  a  horse  was  stolen  in  Illinois,  three 
hundred  miles  away,  it  was  the  James  brothers 
that  did  It. 

They  had  the  name,  and  might  as  well  have  the 
profits.  Every  door  was  closed  against  them. 
They  knew  It  would  be  impossible  for  them  to 
return  to  Kearney  openly,  and  live  there.  The  die 
was  cast  ,and  they  determined  to  earn  the  reputa- 
tion which  had  been  given  them. 

The  callwas  passed,  and  Jesse  James  and  his 
band  of  notorious  outlaws  were  let  loose  upon  the 
country. 


CHAPTER    X 

JESSE  AND  HIS  BAND 

COLE     YOUNGER JIM     WHITE GEORGE     SHEPHERD OLE 

SHEPHERD — A  SECRET  SESSION RUSSELLVILLE' S 

BANK     RAIDED,   MARCH    1 868 ^100,000 

TAKEN A    MASTERLY    RETREAT 

GEORGE   SHEPHERD  ARRESTED 

OLE   SHEPHERD  SURROUNDED 
AND   KILLED 

It  has  never  been  accurately  learned  who  composed 
the  first  Jesse  James  band  of  raiders.  The  material 
from  which  the  young  outlaw  could  select  was  plenti- 
ful ;  for,  scattered  all  over  Kentucky,  Tennessee 
and  Missouri  were  members  of  the  guerilla  organi- 
zations which  played  such  an  important  part  in 
the  war  of  the  rebellion.  Their  well-known  qualities 
were  highly  appreciated  by  these  irregular  soldiers, 
and  if  Jesse  or  Frank  James  passed  the  word  along 
the  line  for  men,  the  responses  would  be  prompt  and 
numerous. 

It  is  safe  to  say,  however,  that  Jesse  selected 
his  timber  with  great  care  and  after  considerable 
hard  thinking.  And,  as  members  of  QuantrelPs  band, 
his  own  tried  comrades-at-arms  would  naturally  have 
the  preference,  the  assumption  that  Cole  Younger, 
Jim  White,  George  and  Ole  Shepherd  were  with 
6i 


62  JESSE  J^AMES  <^NT>  HIS  B^N'TD 

him    in   his   first    exploit  as  a  bank    robber,  would 
not  be  far  out  of  the  way. 

It  was  early  in  the  year  of  '68,  when  the  gang 
finally  gathered  together  at  Chaplin,  and  into  a 
secret  session  as  committee  on  ways  and  means,  to 
consult  together  on  plans  for  the  future.  The 
plans  were  not  only  elaborated,  but  speedily  put  into 
execution. 

Russellville  was  a  thriving  town  of  some  four 
thousand  inhabitants  in  the  southern  part  of  Ken- 
tucky, nearly  adjoining  Tennessee,  and  was  the 
principle  town  in  a  large  well-to-do  district. 

Its  bank  conducted  a  large  business,  and  was 
large  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  town.  The 
former  season  had  been  particularly  good,  the  roads 
were  in  an  excellent  condition,  business  was  rush- 
ing, and  in  consequence,  a  large  amount  of  money 
was  locked  within  its  vaults. 

On  this  bank  the  longing  eyes  of  Jesse  James  were 
turned,  and  his  itching  palms  were  eager  to  grasp 
the  wealth  it  held. 

The  morning  of  March  20th,  '68  opened  clear  and 
beautiful,  and  the  little  town  had  opened  its  stores 
and  was  getting    ready  for  the  business  of  the  day. 

The  bank  was  about  to  open  its  doors  also,  when,' 
dow^n  the  long  straggling  main  street  a  dozen  horse- 
men appeared.  Each  rider  was  armed  with  two 
pairs  of  revolvers,  and  as  they  rushed  by,  they 
uttered  deep  oaths  and  outrageous  imprecations, 
threatening  death  to  any   man   who  should  attempt 


TWO  AGAINST  FORTY. 


64         JESSE  JAMES  ^(J^  HIS  B^A^T) 

to  hinder  them  in  any  way,  ordering  those  on  the 
street  to  go  into  their  houses,  under  penalty  of  in- 
stant death. 

Without  halt  or  slacking  of  reins,  the  brigands 
rode  straight  to  the  bank,  and  two  men,  Jesse 
James  and  Cole  Younger,  leaped  to  the  ground,  and 
disappeared  through  the  bank  door. 

The  cashier  had  just  opened  the  safe,  and  was 
arranging  his  papers,  preparatory  to  the  day's  busi- 
ness, when  he  was  suddenly  confronted  by  two 
armed  men,  strangers  to  him. 

Instantly  the  situation  was  appreciated,  and  he 
turned  quickly  to  shut  the  safe,  but  a  stern  com- 
mand accompanied  by  an  eloquent  gesture  from 
Jesse  James'  revolver,  halted  him. 

"Leave  that  alone  and  be  quiet,  or  PU  blow 
your  brains  out!  "  was  the  peremptory  command. 

The  cashier  was  a  wise  man.  His  life  was  more 
valuable  to  him  and  the .  community  than  the  gold 
in  the  safe,  and  the  shining  barrels  of  the  threat- 
ening revolvers  rendered  him  powerless  to  do  aught 
but  comply  with  their  gentle  urgings. 

In  a  jiffy  both  desperadoes  were  over  the  counter 
and  the  safe  was  rifled.  Cole  Younger  swept  up  the 
loose  change  on  the  counter,  and  everything  but 
some  postage  stamps  were  soon  in  the  possession  of 
the  robbers. 

The  stamps  were  left,  Jesse  James  facetiously 
remarking,  "that  he  would  leave  them  as  the  cashier 
might   want   to  mail  some  letters  later  in  the  day." 


%USSELLyiLLE'S  "BANK  %AIDED         65 

With  the  booty  fn  their  possession,  the  two  out- 
laws left  the  bank  (which  was  about  all  they  left), 
and  mounting  their  horses,  swept  back  again  over 
the  road,  shouting  dire  threats  to  any  one  who 
would  dare  follow.  $100,000,  was  securred  in  this 
simple  manner.  It  was  done  in  ten  short  minutes, 
and  the  stunned  citizens  of  Russellville  could 
hardly  comprehend  the  fact  that  ten  men  had 
boldly  entered  their  tight,  tidy  town,  robbed  their 
bank  in  open  day,  and  departed  without  meeting 
the  slightest  opposition. 

The  impudence  and  audacity  of  the  raid  was 
almost  inconceivable,  and  the  celerity  with  which 
the  gang  operated,  suggested  an  intimate  acquain- 
tance with  the  locality  and  habits  of  the  place,  only 
acquired  by  good  preliminary  work.  It  was  a  well 
planned,  ably-executed  transaction;  the  bloodless 
feature  of  the  affair  was  due  to  the  paralysis  which 
struck  every  able-bodied  man  in  the  town,  when 
they  saw  the  ten  dare-devils  sweep  so  suddenly 
down  the  street. 

This  paralysis  was  temporary  however,  for,  hardly 
had  the  robbers  gained  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
when  the  hue  and  cry  was  raised.  At  once  a  posse 
was  organized  for  the  pursuit.  The  Kentucky  blood 
was  at  fever  heat,  and  it  was  a  well-armed,  well- 
mounted  party  of  resolute,  determined  men  who 
struck  the  hot  trail,  and  set  off  in  keen  and  eager 
pursuit  of  the  saucy  bandits. 
fesse  James  and  his  Band  j 


66  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  "B^ND 

But  the  latter  were  also  well-armed  and  well- 
mounted.  They,  too,  were  resolute,  determined 
men,  and  had  for  their  leader,  a  young  fellow,  with 
a  lion  heart,  an  eagle's  eye,  an  Indian's  sagacious 
patience  and  the  powerful  aid  of  the  devil  himself. 

For  days  the  pursuing  party  followed  the  fleet 
desperadoes.  Over  the  mountains,  through  the 
valleys, plunging  into  deep  waters,  tramping  over 
unbroken  fields,  threading  the  dark  forests  and 
skirting  broad  rivers,  until  the  Father  of  Waters, 
the  wide,  deep  rolling  Mississippi  was  reached,  and 
stretched  between  the  pursuers  and  pursued,  for  the 
robbers  had  crossed  and  plunged  into  the  pastures 
of  their  own  Missouri. 

Still  the  Kentuckians  kept  the  trail,  but  it  became 
blinder  and  blinder,  less  and  less  distinct,  until  it 
was  lost  to  view.  Then,  and  only  then,  they  gave  it 
up,  and  returned,  sadder  and  wiser  men,  to  their 
native  town. 

Shortly  after,  however,  George  Shepherd  was 
caught,  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  a  long  term  of 
years.  Susequently,  Ole  Sheperd  was  located  in 
Jackson  County,  Missouri.  The  necessary  papers 
were  made  out,  and  a  posse  of  thirty  men  sent  after 
him.  They  discovered  his  hiding  place,  and  sur- 
rounding it,  called  on  him  to  surrender,  under  pain 
of  instant  death. 

"Surrender  be  d — d."  was  the  oM  guerilla's 
reply.  "Do  your  worst."  and  he  fired  the  first 
shot- 


OLE  SHEPHERD  KILLED  67 

The  firing  became  general.  There  could  be  but 
one  result,  and  the  desperate  bandit,  fighting  until 
every  chamber  of  his  revolvers  was  emptied,  fell 
with  seven  bullets  in  his  body. 

He  died  defiant  to  the  last,  cursing  his  slayers 
with  his  last  breath.    The  rest  escaped  for  the  time. 

They  lost  little  time  in  mourning  for  their  impris- 
oned comrade,  nor  did  they  shed  many  tears  for  their 
fallen  brother.  It  was  a  chance  they  took,  and  if 
the  law  claimed  one  victim,  and  relentess  death 
another,  what  was  it  to  them.  They  had  secured 
over  $10,000  each,  as  their  share  of  the  booty,  and 
it  paid  to  take  such  risks,  as  the  compensation,  if 
successful,  was  so  great. 

But  the  escape  of  the  robbers,  their  long,  weari- 
some retreat,  the  forced  marches  under  the  darkness  of 
night,  the  thousand-and-one  perils  which  sprang  up 
to  drag  them  down  to  the  grave,  the  stealthy  ride 
through  sleeping  villages,  the  sudden  dashes  across 
moonlit  roads;  sallies,  skirmishes,  hunger,  thirst, 
and  numberless  hardships  which  beset  them,  speak 
volumes  for  their  endurance  and  bravery. 

No  romantic  robber-hero  of  olden  times  could 
compare  with  these  modern  bandits,  and  no  roman- 
cer could  depict,  with  the  sorcery  of  his  imagina- 
tion, such  a  tale  of  almost  incredible  wonder.  Yet, 
it  is  true,  and  it  is  here  written,  a  plain  unvarnish- 
ed tale  almost  beyond  belief. 


CHAPTER  XL 

JESSE  AN  INVALID 

HE  TAKES  A    SEA   VOYAGE — PANAMA   AND    SAN    FRANCISCO 

FRANK  JOINS   HIM — LUXURIATING  AT  PASO  ROBEL 

IN  THE  MINING  CAMPS ARISTOCRATIC  GAM- 
BLERS— BATTLE     MOUNTAIN A     STIFF 

GAME A    FATAL     JACK-POT THE 

DEVIL  LOOSED FOURTEEN 

SOUVENIRS BATTLE 

MOUNTAIN   SHAK- 
EN UP 

After  the  Russellville  bank  robbery,  Jesse  James 
stole  back  to  Kearney  and  was  secreted  in  the 
Samuels  homestead.  The  privations  of  the  fearful 
ride  from  Russellville  to  Missouri   told    upon  him. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  limit  to  his  endurance, 
but  this  last  affair  reacted  upon  his  health,  and  he 
was  again  an  invalid. 

Acting  under  the  advice  of  some  friends,  he  went 
to  Kansas  City,  and  consulted  Dr.  Joseph  Wood  of 
that  place,  an  eminent  and  skillful  practitioner. 

The  surgeon  at  once  recommended  a  change  of 
scene  and  air,  and  suggested  a  sea  voyage,  telling 
him  to  seek  a  warmer  and  more  genial  clime,  where 
the  shattered  lung  and  debilitated  system  could 
recuperate. 

6S 


LUXUklATKKO  Al  T^ASO  RCBEL       69 

Accordingly,  Jesse  James  bade  farewell  to  his 
family,  and  journeyed  to  New  York.  After  spending 
a  few  days  with  friends,  he  set  sail,  June  gth,  1869 
for  Panama,  and  thence  to  San  Francisco. 

During  this  time,  Frank  James,  still  suffering 
from  his  wounded  hip,  which  had  not  been  helped 
to  any  great  extent  by  his  Russell ville  experience, 
was  hiding  in  the  house  of  a  friend  in  Nelson 
County,  Kentucky.  Waiting  until  the  excitement  had 
blown  over,  he  went  to  Louisville,  and  from  there 
to  Kansas  City,  where  his  mother  was  visiting.  He 
then  traveled  overland  to  San  Francisco,  reaching 
that  city  in  advance  of  Jesse. 

The  two  brothers  met  at  the  home  of  their  uncle, 
a  Mr.  D.  W.  James,  who  was  proprietor  of  a  hotel 
at  Paso  Robel. 

For  several  months  the  young  men  lived  there 
quietly  and  peacefully,  conducting  themselves  with 
such  circumspection,  that  no  one  dreamed  the  two 
quiet,  gentlemanly  young  fellows  were  the  twin 
devils  of  murder  and  pillage  who  had  caused  four 
states  to  tremble  and  quiver  with  horror  at  their 
very  name. 

It  is  said  that  se  successful  were  the  young 
bandits  in  thus  disguising  themselves,  and  so 
rapidly  did  they  acquire  the  manners  and  polite 
modes  of  the  fashionable  watering  place,  that  more 
than  one  susceptible  maiden  fell  victims  to  their 
fascinations,  and  they  became  the  leading  beaux  of 
the  place. 


70  JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  "B^ND 

How  true  this  may  be,  can  only  be  conjectured, 
but  there  they  remained  all  summer,  gathering 
health  and  strength,  until  they  were  completly  re- 
stored. By  the  time  this  was  fully  accomplished, 
they  had  become  restless,  and  it  required  but  a 
slight  incentive  to  start  them  on  their  travels. 
This  came  in  the  shape  of  several  of  their  old  com- 
rades, whom  they  met. 

With  these  they  set  out  for  the  mining  camps, 
and  the  slumbering  fire  of  their  old  guerilla  spirit 
was  soon  fanned  into  a  flame,  which  needed  but 
slight  encouragement  to  develop  into  a  fierce  fire 
with  a  consuming  heat. 

There  were  many  mining  towns  near  Paso  Robel, 
and  further  up  the  mountains,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  new  diggings,  such  towns  sprang  up,  almost 
in    a  day — mushroom    villages    of    uncertain    life. 

The  discovery  of  a  new  find,  or  a  rich  formation 
caused  the  migratory  miners — birds  of  impulse  and 
passage,  to  flock  to  the  locality. 

Every  nugget  picked  from  some  pocket  was  to  bei 
the  key  to  some  new  El  Dorado.  The  news  would 
spread,  and  from  all  sides  the  eager  diggers  would 
rush  to  the  golden  portal,  anxious  to  obtain  fabu- 
lous wealth. 

First  the  hasty  shacks  of  the  prospectors  would 
spring  up  on  some  level  plateau,  or  cling  to  the 
steep  sides  of  a  rugged  bluff,  then  would  follow  the 
tents  and  canvas  houses,  then  the  inevitable  saloon 
and  dance  hall  would  blossom  forth  in  all  their  cheap 


IN  THE  {MINING  C<^MPS  71 

tawdery,a  store  would  follow,  another  saloon,  a  black- 
smith shop,  then  two  more  saloons,  more  dance 
halls,  and  then  the  incongruous  jumble  of  tents, 
shanties,  hastily  thrown  together  frame  houses, 
saloons,  dance  halls,  and  shops  would  be  dignified 
with  a  name,  and  the  new  town,  built  in  three  days, 
was  a  reality.  The  class  of  people  who  flocked  to 
such  effervescent  hamlets  partook  of  the  nature  of 
the  place. 

They  were  of  all  kinds  and  conditions.  The 
honest  and  dishonest,  steady  and  unsteady,  noble 
and  debased;  a  boiling,  changing  mass  of  excited 
humanity,  careless  of  themselves,  their  money, 
their  morals  and  their  lives. 

The  gamblers  and  the  liquor  dealers  assumed 
aristocratic  airs  to  themselves  and  were  usually  the 
chief  men  of  the  town.  They  thrived  and  flourished 
whether  "pay  dirt"  was  struck  or  not.  They  toiled 
not,  and  neither  did  they  spin,  and  yet  "I  say  unto 
you,  that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory"  did  not  acquire 
his  wealth  with  less  effort  than  did  the  sporting 
gentlemen  of  the  mining  camp,  or  the  dexterous 
dispenser  of  the  intoxicating  enchanter  that  passed 
under  the  multifarious  name  of  "drinks". 

It  was  to  just  such  a  town  that  Jesse  and  Frank 
James,  with  two  Missouri  gentlemen  of  their  ilk, 
and  congenial  tastes  honored  with  a  visit.  The 
young  metropolis  bore  the  euphonious  name  of 
Battle  Mountain,  and  was  accounted  one  of .  the 
"swiftest"  towns  on  the   range.     They   went  purely 


72  JESSE  J^MES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

and  simply  to  see  the  place.  They  saw  the  place 
with  the  most  innocent  intentions  in  the  world, 
mere  curiosity. 

For  a  few  days  they  roamed  around,  and  took  in 
the  diggings;  a  party  of  gamblers  noticed  the  quart- 
tette,  and  not  having  that  acquaintance  with  them 
which  might  have  deterred  them  from  their  purpose, 
laid  a  plan  to  skin  them  of  some  of  their  wealth. 
The  James  boys  were  proud  of  their  abilities  as 
poker  players.  The  fascinations  of  the  draw  were 
sufficient  for  them  to  accept  the  tender  of  a  friendly 
game  which  the  accomodating  and  friendly  gam- 
blers made  them,  and,  one  evening  found  them 
seated  around  the  table,  with  the  pile  of  chips  and 
elusive  pasteboards  before  them. 

For  some  time  the  game  progressed  without  ex- 
citement, the  Missouri  men  sitting  together,  and 
their  quandom  friends  occupying  the  other  sides  of 
the  table,  while  in  the  room  were  thirty  others 
who  were  in  the  deep-laid  scheme  which  was  to 
despoil  the  ex-guerillas  of  their  pile. 

A  jack-pot  was  on,  cards  had  been  draVn,  one  by 
one  the  players  laid  down  their  cards,  until  the 
game  was  reduced  to  two,  a  gambler  of  the  town 
and  one  of  Jesse  James*  party. 

The  gambler  was  in  the  plot,  so  when  the 
Missourian  called  him,  he  cheerfully  remarked, 
with  a  satisfied  glance  at  the  swollen  and  luscious 
pot. 

"Three  Kings.  ' 


<^  FAr<^L  JdiCK-POT  73 

"Three  Aces,"  was  the  cool  response,  as  the  man 
from  the  States  showed  down  his  thre§  single  spots 
and  calmly  raked  in  the  pot. 

"I  discarded  a  king,"  he  continued,  "when  the  cut 
was  made  for  your  deal,  the  bottom  card  was  ex- 
posed. It  was  a  king,  so  you  got  your  three  kings 
from  the  bottom.     You  mustn't  do  that  again." 

"You  lie !  "was  the  angry  retort,  and  the  gambler's 
hand  sought  his  revolver,  as  his  eyes  flashed  the 
mischief  he  was  contemplating. 

There  was  an  ominous  movement  throughout  the 
room.  A  sudden  calm  fell  upon  the  place.  A  man 
had  been  accused  of  cheating,  and  the  lie  had  been 
passed,  and  death  was  the  penalty,  according  to  the 
gambler's  code  of  honor. 

Jesse  James,  with  his  usual  promptitude,  grasped 
the  idea  instantly.  He  saw  the  nervous  haste 
with  which  the  gambler  felt  for  his  shooting  iron, 
but,  the  hand  of  Jesse  James  was  quicker,  his  aim 
was  surer  and  when  his  ready  revolver  belched 
forth  its  death  dealing  flame,  the  gambler  fell 
back,  dead. 

Quick  as  a  flash,  the  other  gambler  sprang  for- 
ward with  a  knife,  and  made  a  quick  slash  at  Jesse, 
but  quicker  than  a  flash,  the  revolver  swung  round, 
and,  with  his  brains  spattering  the  wall,  and  the 
entire  top  of  his  head  blown  off,  the  card-playing 
sharp  stretched  his  length  upon  the  floor,  a  quiver- 
ing corpse. 

Then  the  slumbering  hell  awoke,  and  pandemon- 


74  JESSE  JAMES  A€^D  HIS  BAVfD 

ium  began;  with  a  shout  and  a  yell,  the  entire 
crowd  charged  the  four  friends.  Forty  men  against 
four. 

Ranged  shoulder  against  shoulder,  fearless  as  a 
tiger,  cool  as  an  iceberg,  and  calm  as  a  mill-pond 
the  quartette  faced  their  raging  opponents. 

Suddenly  the  lights  were  put  out,  and  Jesse,  be- 
tween the  cruel    workings  of    his   pistols,  shouted: 

"Stand  aside !     Be  ready. " 

Frank  and  the  other  two  understood;  with  a  rush, 
they  made  for  the  door,  Jesse  covering  the  retreat 
with  his  revolvers.  As  soon  as  they  had  escaped, 
they  began  firing  into  the  howling,  maddened 
crowd,  allowing  Jesse  to  reach  the  door.  Two 
brawny  gamblers  sprang  upon  him.  One  sank  with 
a  bullet  in  his  brain,  and  the  other,  struck  sense 
less  with  the  stock  of  the  empty  pistol,  fell  across 
his  comrade's  body.  Leaping  over  this  ghastly  bar- 
ricade, Jesse  joined  his  friends  outside,  safe  and 
unscratched. 

It  was  a  murderous  affair,  and  the  men  who  thus 
awoke  the  sleeping  tiger  were  horror-struck  when 
they  contemplated  the  awful  scene  after  the 
lights  had  been  re-lit.  On  the  rough  floor  lay  the 
bodies  of  three  dead  men,  and  writhing  in  mortal 
agony,  five  others  were  scattered  about.  The  floors 
and  walls  were  spattered  with  blood,  and  a  huge 
blotch  near  the  door  was  the  remains  of  the  dead 
gambler's  brains. 

Obeying  a  sudden  impulse,    one    of    those  unex- 


BATTLE  MOUNTAIN  SHAKEN  UP       75 

plainable  sensations  which  seems  to  animate  and 
move  a  great  crowd,  making  each  individual  do  the 
same  thing  at  the  same  time,  like  a  company  of 
soldiers  drilling,  the  wild  mob  of  gamblers,  hang- 
ers on,  and  miners  rushed  after  the  daring  Missou- 
ri ans. 

Scarcely  had  they  run  a  mile,  when  they  came 
within  sight  of  the  four  men,  leisurely  moving  out 
of  the  town.  The  self-appointed  leaders  of  the 
pursuing  crowd  rushed  forward,  yelling,  and  crying 
for  the  James  boys  and   their   companions   to  stop. 

"Fall  back ! "  cried  Jesse.  "Fall  back,  we  fought 
once  for  self-defence,  and  we  will  do  it  again." 

But  the  yelling,  cursing  pack  continued  their 
headlong  course.     Again  Jesse  warned  them. 

"Back,  you  d— d  fools!     Stand  back!  " 

This  did  not  deter  them,  and  they  still  made  for 
the  objects  of  their  vengeance. 

Then  Jesse  turned  to  his  comrades. 

"We  are  in  for  it  again,  boys,  give  it  to  them." 
Turning  to  the  oncoming  mab,  he  cried: 

"Come  on,  d — d  you.     Come  on,  and  get  shot!" 

Suiting  his  actions  to  the  words,  he  pulled  the 
trigger  and  a  man  plunged  forward,  headforemost  to 
the  earth.  Three  other  shots  rang  out,  almost  sim- 
multaneously  with  Jesse's,  and  three  dead  men 
dropped.  Again  the  Missourians  fired,  and  two 
more  of  their  pursuers  fell.  Then  the  mob  halted, 
wavered  and  turned.     Jesse  James  and  his  compan- 


76  JESSE  JAMES  <^^D  HIS  'B<^ir^D 

ions  were  safe,  and  resumed  their  journey,  but,  they 
left  behind  fourteen  dead  and  dying  men  as  souve- 
nirs of  their  visit.  They  had  shaken  up  Battle 
Mountain  as  the  town  had  never  before,  or  after 
experienced. 


CHAPTER  XII 

BACK  IN  MISSOURI 

THE  GALLATIN     BANK     RAIDED THE     CASHIER,   JOHN     W. 

SHEETS,   MURDERED COLUMBIA    (KY.)   BANK  OF 

DEPOSIT  ROBBED A  BRAVE  CASHIER  BRU- 
TALLY BUTCHERED BILL  LONGLY  SHOT 

CORYDON  (lA.)    BANK  MULCTED 

OF  ^40,000 

The  James  brothers  concluded  that  the  Sierras 
gold  country  was  not  a  very  salubrious  and  healthy 
climate  for  them,  after  their  little  escapade  at 
Battle  Mountain.  The  notoriety  they  acquired  on 
account  of  this  trifling  eccentricity  was  not  compa- 
tible with  their  best  interests;  and  the  publicity, 
which  is  the  penalty  imposed  on  all  noted  men, 
was  inflicted  on  them,  and  grated  on  their  modest 
and  retiring  dispositions.  For  these  reasons  they 
concluded  that  the  finger  of  wisdom  pointed  to 
their  Missouri  home,  and  after  remaining  in  seclu- 
sion a  few  days  to  allow  the  Battle  Mountain 
hurricane  time  to  calm  down,  they  started  overland, 
and,  in  due  time,  arrived  in  Missouri. 

Reaching  their  old  stamping  grounds,  they  at 
once — like  the  honest,  hard  working  men  they  were — 
looked  around  for  employment.  Money  was  no 
object,  it  was  employment  they  were  after.     It  did 

77 


78  JESSE  J<^MES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

not  take  them  a  great  length  of  time  to  find  it, 
and,  letting  their  inclinations  lead  as  they 
wished,  they  determined  to  embark  in  the  banking 
business.  Their  last  financial  venture  in  that  line, 
at  Russellville,  had  been  eminently  successful,  and 
with  buoyant  hopes,  and  sanguine  dreams  of  again 
filling  their  coffers,  they  surveyed  the  country  for 
a  likely  opening. 

Organizing  their  company  without  any  ostenta- 
tious display  or  blowing  of  trumpets,  they  proceed- 
ed to  put  the  machinery  in  operation.  The  place 
was  Gallatin,  a  thriving  little  burgh  of  Daviess  Co. 
Missouri.  It  was  Russellville  all  over  again,  Uut 
with  the  difference,  that  Russellville  was  a  "clean 
job";  the  Gallatin  affair  was  a  "dirty"  one,  for  inno- 
cent blood  was  shed  with  the  recklessness  of  brutish 
and  depraved  men. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1869,  a  band  of  armed 
horsemen  entered  the  town  of  Gallatin,  and  urging 
their  animals  down  the  main  street  with  the  veloc- 
ity of  the  wind,  flourished  their  revolvers,  and 
uttering  curses  and  oaths,  ordered  the  people  to 
stay  in  their  houses.  When  the  bank  was  reached, 
two  of  the  raiders  sprang  from  their  horses  and 
rushed  into  the  bank.  They  were  Jesse  James  and 
Cole  Younger. 

The  vault  door  was  wide  open,  and  one  of  the 
men,  pressing  his  revolver  against  the  head  of 
the  cashier,  Capt.  John  W.  Sheets,  ordered  him  to 
remain  quiet.     The  other  hastily  secured  the  money 


{MURDER  OF  CAPTAIN  SHEETS        79 

— a  mere  paltry  amount — $700  or  so — and  placed 
it  in  a  bag. 

Captain  Sheets,  powerless  and  helpless,  had  re- 
mained a  passive  spectator  of  the  outrage,  but.  this 
did  not  save  him,  for,  just  as  they  were  leaving, 
one  of  the  outlaws  (whether  Jesse  James  or  Cole 
Younger  is  not  definitely  known)  deliberately 
leveled  his  revolver,  and  shot  the  cashier  dead. 

The  ruffians  left  as  they  came,  and  vanished  from 
sight  leaving  a  rifled  bank,  and  the  rigid  body  of 
the  murdered  cashier  prone  upon  the  bank  floor. 

The  unprovoked,  cowardly  assassination  of  Cap- 
tain Sheets  aroused  the  entire  country,  and  the  full 
force  of  the  law  was  put  into  operation.  The 
region  round  about  was  scoured  and  searched,  pur- 
suing parties  found  the  trail,  and  chased  the 
robbers  to  the  borders  of  Clay  County.  There  the 
marauders  disappeared.  They  were  on  their  native 
heath,  and  were  safe. 

The  friends  of  the  James  brothers  did  all  in 
their  power  to  discredit  the  statement  that  they 
were  implicated  in  this  horrible  affair.  Jesse 
James  had  the  supreme  affrontery  to  write  a  per- 
sonal letter  to  Gov.  McClury  denying  that  either 
he  or  Frank  had  any  connection  whatever  with  the 
Gallatin  bank  robbery  and  murder.  But,  as  time 
brought  forth  new  developments,  the  facts  were 
well  substantiated,  that  it  was  either  Jesse  James 
or  Cole  Younger  who  shot  Captain  Sheets. 

Whether  they  were    engaged    in    this  robbery  or 


8o  JESSE  J<^MES  ^ND  HIS  "BAND 

not,  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  they  were  active 
participants — the  planners  and  leaders  of  the  nftxt 
one. 

This  time  the  scene  of  operations  was  transfer- 
red again  to  Kentucky,  the  scene  of  their  first 
attempt  at  bank  raiding. 

Columbia,  is  the  county  seat  of  Adair  County, 
Kentucky,  and  its  bank  was  known  to  be  a  partic- 
ularly thriving  institution,  doing  considerable  busi- 
ness, and  handling  a  large  quantity  of  money.  It 
was  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  April 
29th,  1872,  that  the  President  of  the  Bank  of 
Deposit  (for  such  was  the  name  of  the  institution) 
was  conversing  with  the  cashier,  Mr.  R.  A.  C. 
Martin,  and  a  citizen,  Mr.  Garnett,  by  name.  An 
unusual  commotion  attracted  their  attention,  and 
glancing  out  upon  the  street,  they  saw  five  horse- 
men riding  furiously  down  the  street.  Before  they 
could  realize  that  anything  out  of  the  common 
was  occuring,  the  door  flew  back,  and  the  gentle- 
men were  gazing  into  the  barrels  of  four  revolvers, 
held  by  the  steady  hands  of  Frank  James  and  Cole 
Younger.  Without  a  word,  the  two  intruders 
passed  around  the  counter,  and  presenting  a  pistol 
to  the  head  of  the  cashier,  one  of  them  cried  in  a 
peremptory  tone: 

"Will  you  give  up  the  safe  keys,  d — n  you? 

"I  will  not!"  replied  the  plucky  cashier. 

"Then,  G — ^d  d — n  you,  will  you  open   the  safe? 


BILL  LONGLEY  SHOT  8i 

Come,   quick.     I*ve  no  time  to  waste.     Come  now, 
ni  blow  your  d — d  brains  out.     Will  you?" 

"I  will  not.     I  will  d— " 

The  defiant  words  were  never  finished,  for  a 
bullet  crushed  his  temple  and  his  blood  and  brain 
spurted  over  the  desk  and  the  horrified  President. 

The  two  robbers  saw  the  game  was  up.  The 
cashier  had  the  combination,  and  time  was  more 
precious  than  all  the  money  in  the  bank.  A  mur- 
der had  been  committed,  and  they  must  flee. 
Hastily  sweeping  up  the  loose  money  on  the  coun- 
ter, $300.00,  they  darted  to  the  street,  mounted,  and 
the  cavalcade  of  robbers  and  murderers  swept  from 
sight. 

Pursuit  was  instituted  at  once,  and  excepting 
that  one  raider,  Bill  Longly,  a  new  recruit  from 
Texas,  was  shot  in  Fentress  County,  the  gang 
again  escaped. 

Before  twelve  months  had  passed,  the  Jesse 
James  gang  again  raided  a  bank.  It  was  the  bank 
in  Corydon,  Iowa.  The  day  was  the  28th,  of  June, 
1873.  It  was  the  regular  procedure.  Twelve 
armed  and  mounted  men  suddenly  dashed  into  town, 
terrorized  the  .inhabitants,  and  held  them  away 
from  the  bank. 

Three  of  the  robbers  entered  the  bank  and,  bring- 
ing six  revolvers  to  bear  on  the  officials,  compelled 
them  to  pass  out  all  the  money.  Then  the  rapid 
remount,  the  quick  order,  the  hurry  of  flying  hoofs,, 

and  then — . 
6 


82  JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

$40,000,  was  the  product  of  this  last  robbery,  and 
not  a  cent  was  ever  recovered,  and  not  a  man 
caught  in  the  search  instantly  set  in  motion. 

Russellville!  Gallatin!  Columbia!  Corydon! 
$141,000!    Two  murders.     What  a  record. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

KANSAS  CITY  FAIR 

|llO,000    SCOOPED    BY     JESSE  JAMES A  BOLD,    RECKLESS 

AFFAIR A  CLEAN  JOB A  BANK  AT   STE.    GENE- 
VIEVE  ROBBED A  BOLD   LEAP.       A   SLIGHT 

MISHAP A  COWARDLY  DOZEN 

The  two  events  to  be    recorded     in  this  chapter, 
are  placed  here  because  it    is   popularly    supposed 
that  Jesse  James  and  his  dashing  free-booters  were 
the  audacious  gentlemen    who    participated  in  the' 
affair;   although,  it  is  a  mere  matter  of  conjecture. 

But  the  ear  marks  pointed  to  Jesse  James;  the 
characteristics  of  Russellville,  Gallatin  and  Cory- 
don,  were  present  in  both  the  Kansas  City  and 
Genevieve  raids,  and  it  is  a  fair  presumption  to 
make  that  Jesse  and  Frank  James  were  the  leaders. 

The  robbery  of  the  Kansas  City  Fair,  was  the 
most  audacious,  bold  and  reckless  affair  that  ever 
startled  the  world.  Sheer  impudence,  and  une- 
qualed  boldness  carried  the  day,  and  seven  men, 
surrounded  by  the  throngs  of  peqpte  visiting  the 
fair,  in  the  wide-open  day,  swooped  down,  picked  up 
]pio,ooo,  and  dashed  away,  unharmed  and  without 
hindrance. 

There  was  a  big  crowd  at  the  Fair-grounds  that 
day,    September    20th,    1872.     Ethan    Allen,    the 


84  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  'B^MD 

famous  race  horse,  was  to  trot,  and  the  event  drew 
a  large  number  of  the  race  track  devotees  to  th« 
fair  grounds. 

Great  masses  of  people  were  crowding  through 
the  gates  and  filling  the  -grand  stand  and  enclosure. 

The  fair  was  doing  a  howling  business,  nearly 
J5io,ooo,  being  taken  in  as  gate  receipts. 

Although  it  was  after  banking  hours,  Mr.  Hall, 
treasurer  of  the  Association,  had  made  arrange- 
ments to  deposit  the  sum,  and,  placing  the  money 
in  a  tin  box,  gave  it  to  a  trusted  employe  to 
carry  to  the  bank.  The  idea  that  any  sane  person 
male  or  female,  would  attempt  to  steal  this  box 
in  broad  daylight  in  the  midst  of  so  many  thou- 
sand people,  was  preposterous,  and  Mr.  Hall  never 
dreamed  of  such  a  contingency. 

The  young  man  left  the  office  with  his  valuable 
bundle,  and  proceeded  down  the  street. 

As  he  did  so,  seven  men,  well  armed,  trotted 
leisurely  down  the  street.  They  attracted  attention 
to  be  sure,  but  it  was  mere  curiosity.  The  magni- 
ficent horses  they  rode  were  admired,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  the  spectators  thought  the  cavalcade  part 
of  the  show. 

So  it  was,  but  it  was  not  down  on  the  pro- 
gramme. 

Suddenly,  at  a  command,  the  seven  men  put 
spurs  to  their  horses,  and  dashed  recklessly 
through  the  crowd,  which  opened  right  and  left  ill 
hurried  attempts  to  escape  being  trampled  to  death. 


jnSSSE'S  LEAP  FOB  LIt£. 


86  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

When  the  men  were  opposite  the  messenger  car- 
rying the  tin  box,  they  halted,  and,  drawing  their 
revolvers  swore  to  instantly  kill  any  one  making 
the  slightest  attempt  to  hinder  them. 

One  tall,  athletic  man  (supposed  to  be  Jesse 
James)  sprang  from  his  horse,  and  thrusting  his  re- 
volver in  the  face  of  the  astonished  and  paralyzed 
messenger,  snatched  the  box  from  his  nerveless 
hands,  vaulted  lightly  into  the  saddle,  wheeled  his 
horse  and  with  a  shrill  whistle,  dashed  down  the 
street  at  full  speed,  followed  by  the  remainder  of 
the  raiders. 

Ten  thousand  dollars  in  clean  hard  cash.  Not 
a  shot  was  fired,  not  a  person  was  injured.  It  was 
a  "clean  job". 

Of  course  they  were  pursued,  but  all  the  pursuers 
found  was  the  empty  tin  box,  hanging  to  a  tree 
five  miles  away.     The  raiders  had  escaped. 

For  some  time  the  gang  lived  on  the  proceeds  of 
the  Kansas  City  raid,  but  money  "easy  come  easy 
goes",  and  their  flattened  purses  was  an  incent- 
ive to  urge  them  on  to  renewed  efforts  in  their 
peculiar  line,  and  Ste.  Geneveive,  the  old  Catholic 
town   of    Missouri,    was    selected    as    the    victim. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  '73,  and  the  cashier  of  the 
savings  bank,  together  with  a  young  man,  his  as- 
sistant, named  F.  A.  Rogers,  had  just  entered  the 
bank,  ready  to  open  up  for  the  day,  when  they 
were  suddenly  confronted  by  four  armed  men,  who 
spoke  to  them  thus: 


<^  BOLD  LE^P  87 

"We  have  -come  to  help  you  open  the  bank. 
Open  the  safe  instantly,  d — m  you,  we  have  no 
time  to  lose." 

"I  am  helpless  and  can  not  resist  you,"  replied 
Mr.   Harris,  the  cashier,  and  he  turned  to  the  safe. 

Meanwhile  the  young  clerk,  Rogers,  who  had 
shown  signs  of  creating  an  alarm,  was  sternly  com- 
manded to  keep  still. 

"I?  What  for?"  he  inquired. 

"Not  another  word,  you  young  devil.  Keep  still, 
if  you  don't  want  your  brain  blown  out  of  your 
d— d  head." 

But  young  Rogers  was  plucky,  and  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  moment,  made  a  bold  leap  and  sprang 
down  stairs  to  the  street. 

As  he  fled,  the  man  watching  him  fired,  the 
bullet  tearing  the  shoulder  of  his  coat  and  graz- 
ing his  chin. 

By  this  time  the  safe  was  opened,  and  the  booty 
secured.  To  the  intense  disappointment  of  the 
James  gang,  they  found  but  1^8.500,  where  they  had 
fondly  dreamed  of  ^80.000  or  even  ;^  100. 000  After 
relieving  Mr.  Harris  of  his  watch,  they  left  the 
bank,  mounted  their  horses,  and  fled. 

A  slight  mishap,  which  well  nigh  proved  disas- 
terous,  happened  to  them  just  as  they  were  leaving 
the  city. 

One  of  their  horses  ran  away,  and  the  bag  con- 
taining their  booty,  broke,  spilling  the  gold  in  the 
streets 


SB  JESSE  JAMES  <t/^ND  HIS  B^ND 

A  German  farmer  passing  with  his  team  was 
compelled  to  chase  and  capture  the  horse,  while 
the  robbers,  with  their  drawn  pistols  stood  guard 
over  the  gold. 

A  dozen  men  had  hastily  secured  arms,  and  now 
appeared  in  pursuit,  but  the  bold,  determined  front 
presented  by  the  bank  raiders  cooled  their  ardor, 
and  they  returned,  leaving  Jesse  James  and  his 
companions  to  escape  with  their  ill-gotten  wealth. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  CHANGE   OF  OPERATIONS 

BANKING     TO     RAILROADING THE     COUNCIL     OF     WAR 

WATCHING  THROUGH  THE  NIGHT ^WRECKING  THE 

ROCK  ISLAND     EXPRESS.       "mY    GOD  !      THE 
RAILS  move"— DEATH  OF  A  BRAVE  EN- 
GINEER  A     HELLISH     CRIME 

|)25,000  SECURED ^50,  GOO 

REWARD A  VAIN  OFFER 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  Ste.  Genevieve 
bank  robbery,  the  James  brothers  haid  seriously  con- 
sidered the  question  of  enlarging  their  field  of 
operations.  Bank  plundering  was  all  well  enough 
in  its  way.  It  was  an  easy,  pleasant  mode  of  giv- 
ing them  pocket  money,  but  their  aspirations 
yearned  for  nobler  deeds.  The  excitement  of  rob- 
bing banks  was  beginning  to  lose  its  pungency  and 
flavor.  Their  ambitions  soared  to  greater  latitudes, 
and  they  had  their  hearts  set  on  greater  deeds. 

To  this  end,  Frank  James  and  Bill  Younger  had 
made  a  preliminary  trip  into  Nebraska.  A  journey 
of  observation  as  it  were,  and,  when  they  returned 
and  the  conclave  of  marauders  were  once  more  in 
session,  they  made  their  report.  It  was  then  deter- 
mined to  embark  in  the  new  enterprise.  The 
bankers  had    voted    to    change  their  business  and 

89 


90  JESSE  J^AMES  o^ND  HIS  BAND 

enter  the  wider  field    of    railroading.     In  short,  to 
rob  express  trains. 

Two  new  men  had  been  added  to  the  gang.  Rob- 
ert Moore,  and  a  Texas  desperado  who  had  flour- 
ished under  the  euphoneous  cognomen  of  Comanche 
Toney.  The  conference  was  held  in  Jackson 
County,  and  with  maps  of  the  country,  time  tables 
and  other  printed  and  illustrated  material,  the 
question  was  viewed  in  all  its  possible  and  im- 
possible phases. 

There  is  considerable  difference  between  holding 
up  an  express  train,  thundering  along  at  forty 
miles  an  hour,  and  mulcting  the  bank  in  some 
sleepy  little  town  of  a  few  thousand  frightened 
people.  Besides,  the  idea  was  a  new  one.  They 
were  about  to  tread  upon  unknown  ground,  and  they 
felt  their  way  carefully.  Various  were  the  schemes 
proposed  and  rejected,  and  the  discussion  waxed 
warm.  At  length  a  decision  was  made,  and,  on  the 
night  of  Saturday,  July  20th,  1873,  the  James  boys 
Jesse  and  Frank,  Cole  and  Bill  Younger,  Bob 
Moore  and  Comanche  Toney  met  at  the  rendezvous, 
a  point  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R. 
some  fourteen  miles  from  Council  Bluffs. 

The  place  had  been  selected  with  admirable 
forethought.  A  wild  lonely  country,  half  way  be- 
tween Adair  and  Des  Moines,  with  not  a  single 
house  for  miles  around.  The  east  bound  express 
was  due  there  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  it  was  this  train  they  were  to  rob. 


"DEATH  OF  <^  "BRAVE  ENGINEER        91 

With  commendable  energy,  the  train  robbers  set 
to  work.  Spikes  and  fishplates  were  loosened, 
several  ties  were  brought  close  at  hand,  ready  for  in- 
stant services,  and  then  the  men  crept  back  to  the 
bushes  and  waited:   waited  through  the  long   night. 

They  waited  and  watched  freight  trains  lumber 
safely  over  the  loosened  rails,  which  were  still  held 
by  just  enough  spikes  to  keep  them  in  place.  They 
watched  and  waited  until  the  East  began  to  show 
signs  of  breaking  of  the  Sabbath  morn.  At  length  the 
time  for  action  drew  near.  Far  down  the  track,  the 
faint  rumble  of  the  approaching  express  was  heard. 
Then  the  faint  flash  of  the  head  light.  Quickly 
the  remaining  spikes  were  drawn,  and  the  rails 
thrust  aside.  The  ties  were  thrown  across  the  road 
bed  just  as  the  train,  flying  to  make  up  time, 
crossed  the  Turkey  Creek  bridge.  With  bated  breath, 
the  hell  inspired  robbers  watched  the  doomed 
express  rushing  to  its  destruction. 

In  the  cab,  poor  John  Rafferty,  the  engineer, 
peered  ahead,  his  hand  on  the  throttle.  He  saw 
the  danger,  but  with  a  leap  the  engine  struck  the 
obstruction. 

"My  God,  the  rails  move"  cried  Rafferty  to  his 
fireman. 

It  was  his  death  cry,  but  even  in  the  face  of  his 
awful  peril,  he  thought  of  the  passengers  behind, 
and  applying  the  air  brake,  he  thrust  back  his  lever. 

With  a  hiss  of  steam,  and  a  roar  almost  human 
in  its  agony,  the  engine  sprang  from  the  rails,  and 


93  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  'BAND 

plunging  to  one  side, fell  over, crushing  the  life  from 
the  body  of  John  Rafferty. 

A  cry  of  horror  arose  from  the  terrified  passen- 
gers, and  the  cry  was  echoed  by  the  wild  yells  of 
the  damnable  gang  that  had  committed  this  hellish 
crime. 

With  curses  and  yells,  the  desperadoes  ran 
through  the  cars,  firing  their  revolvers,  and  com- 
manding abject  submission. 

The  express  car  was  broken  into  and  the  messen- 
ger, with  his  arm  broken  by  the  bloodthirsty 
demons,  was  compelled  to  open  the  safe.  The  mail 
clerks  were  robbed,  and  then  the  ruthless  villains 
passed  through  the  cars,  making  every  man,  woman 
and  child  deliver  their  -valuables.  When  the  last 
passenger  had  been  despoiled,  the  masked  robbers 
disappeared  in  the  bushes,  mounted  their  horses, 
and  rode  gaily  away,  ^^25,000  richer,  leaving  the 
crushed  and  mangled  body  of  the  heroic  John  Raff- 
erty, stretched  out  stiff  in  death,  the  rifled  express 
car  and  the  terror  stricken  passengers  behind. 

A  reward  of  $50,000,  was  offered  for  the  arrest  of 
the  robbers,  but  it  was  offered  in  vain.  The 
villains  escaped  to  Clay  County  and  for  a  time  dis- 
appeared. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A    LITTLE    DIVERSION THE    HOT  SPRINGS  STAGE  ROBBED 

ROUNDED  UP ;?3,020  IN  ONE  HAUL A  GRIM 

JOKE THE  HUMAN  TARGET — CONFED- 
ERATES EXEMPT.      GOV.    BUR- 
BANK  IN  A  TIGHT  PLACE 

The  Jesse  James  gang  had  never  been  afflicted 
with  any  great  amount  of    modesty  or  bashfulness.' 

The  contrary  was  nearer  the  truth,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  their  first  venture  in  railroad  robbery, 
emboldened  them  to  even  greater  audacity.  The 
money  they  secured  from  the  Rock  Island  Express 
raid,  enabled  them  to  live  without  resort  to  any 
plundering  expedition  for  a  time,  but  one  day,  it 
was  the  middle  of  January,  of  1884,  five  of  the 
gang,  Jesse  and  Frank  James,  Cole  and  Jim  Younger 
and  Cove  Miller,  by  way  of  diversion,  and  to  keep 
their  hand  in  training,  concluded  to  .indulge  in  the 
pleasant  task  of  robbing  a  stage. 

Hot  Springs  was  a  great  resort  for  invalids, 
troubled  with  rheumatism,  paralysis  and  other 
ailments  of  that  order,  and,  as  the  cost  of  living 
in  Hot  Springs  was  rather  more  than  common,  only 
the  wealthy  could  patronize  the  place.  A  stage  ran) 
from  Malvern,  on  the  St.  L.  I.  M.  &  S.  R.  R.  to' 
Hot  Springs.  j 


94  JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  "B^ND 

This  morning,  the  stage  was  well  filled,  and  had 
reached  a  point  within  five  miles  of  the  Springs, 
near  the  old  Gaines  mansion.  The  company  in  the 
stage  were  feeling  in  the  best  of  good  spirits,  and 
were  thoroughly  enjoying  the  ride,  when  suddenly, 
five  men,  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  Union  soldiers, 
sprang  from  the  bushes  beside  the  road,  each  man 
carrying  two  revolvers. 

"Stop,  Stop  !"  cried  one  of  the  men,  calling  to  the 
driver;  "Stop,  or  Pll  blow  your  head  off." 

The  driver  stopped.  He  didn't  care  to  have  his 
thatch  blown  skyward,  and  instantly  reined  in  his 
horses. 

"Come  now,  tumble  out  of  here,"  was  the 
next  command,  emphasized  by  a  comprehensive 
movement  of  the  pistols. 

"Oh,  certainly,"  responded  one  of  the  passengers 
a  Mr.  Charles  Morse.   "We  can    do    nothing  else." 

The  stage  was  soon  vacant,  save  one  old  gentle- 
man, who  exclaimed  piteously: 

"I  am  paralyzed  in  my  legs,  and  cannot  walk." 

"Never  mind,  then, "  said  Jesse  James,  "stay 
where  you  are." 

The  other  passengers,  intimidated  by  the  appear- 
ance of  the  dangerous  looking  revolvers  of  the  men, 
did  as  they  were  told,  and  were  formed  in  a  circle, 
with  their  hands  extended  full  arms  length  above 
their  heads. 

The  robbers  then  began,  systematically,  to  rob 
every  man  of    the    party.     From  Ex-Gov.  Burbank 


THE  HU£KfAN  TARGET  95 

they  took  $800.00  in  cash,  a  diamond  pin  worth 
;g35o.oo,  and  a  gold  watch  valued  at  I250.00. 
John  Dietrich,  of  Little  Rock,  yielded  up  $200.00. 
William  Taylor,  of  Lowell,  Mass.,  handed  over 
$650,00.  Chas.  Morse  presented  them  with  $70.00, 
from  E.  A.  Peebles  of  Hot  Springs  they  took  $200.00, 
and  Geo.  E.  Crump,  of  Memphis,  turned  over 
$45.00.  Other  passengers  gave  $205.00,  and  the 
Southern  Express  Company  was  robbed  of  $450.00. 
A  total  of  $3020.00,  was  secured  by  the  five 
robbers. 

Somewhat  jubilant  over  their  success,  and 
secure  in  the  knowledge  that  none  of  the  passen- 
gers were  armed,  the  brigands,  in  a  facetious  mood, 
began  to  make  coarse  remarks,  and  indulge  in  a 
species  of  grim  humor,  which  they  were  pleased  to 
call  pleasantries.  The  passengers,  already  badly 
frightened,  were  thrown  into  a  condition  of  actual 
terror,  by  the  outrageous  actions  of  the  robbers. 

"I  will  bet  you  the  pile,"  said  Frank  James  to 
Cole  Younger,  "that  I  can  pink  that  chap  on  the 
ear  at  fifty  paces,  nine  times  out  of  ten." 

"Done."  cried  Younger.'     "but  I  can  beat  that." 

"I  must  shoot  first,  though."   continued  Frank. 

"D — d  if  you  do."  expostulated  Younger.  "I  don't 
want  a  dead  man  for  a  target." 

The  object  of  this  wrangle,  pale  from  frightj^and 
trembling  with  terror,  begged  his  captors  not  to 
use  him  as  a  target  to  test  their  skill  at  arms,  and 
begged  that  they  would  spare  his  life. 


9^  JESSE  J^MES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

One  of  the  passengers,  Geo.  W.  Crump  of  Mem- 
phis, in  answer  to  a  question  from  Jesse,  said  he 
had  been  a  soldier,  and  fought  all  through  the  war. 

"On  which  side?"  inquired  the  inquisitive  Jesse. 

•'Confederate,  of  course."  was  the  cunning  reply. 

"Well,  d — n  it  all,  your  the  right  sort.  We 
don't  rob  Confederate  soldiers.  Here's  your  wad. 
You're  a  brick. 

Gov.  Burbank,  who  had  some  valuable  private 
papers  in  the  pocket  book  stolen  from  him,  begged 
that  they  would  be  returned  to  him  on  the  ground 
that  they  were  worthless  to  the  robbers,  but  invalu- 
able to  him.  Examining  the  papers,  Jesse  James 
thought  they  indicated  that  the  Governor  was  a 
detective  in  disguise,  and  it  would  have  gone  hard 
with  that  gentleman,  had  he  not  succeeded  in  con- 
vincing the  suspicious  outlaws  that  he  was  no  de- 
tective. The  papers  were  returned  and  he  was 
permitted  to  go. 

For  some  time  this  cruel  banter  was  kept  up, 
until  at  last,  wearied  with  their  sport,  the  robbers 
prepared  to  depart.  Frank  James  saluting  the 
robbed  passengers  with  mock  politeness,  and  wish- 
ing them  all  a  very  good  day,  and  another  meeting, 
disappeared  with  his  companions. 

The  plundered  party  reached  Hot  Springs  with- 
out a  cent  on  their  persons,  and  although  they  re- 
ceived substantial  aid  from  people  in  the  hotel,  and 
a  plentiful  supply  of  sympathy,  the  robbers  were 
not  pursued,  and  escaped  scot  free. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    GADSHILL     TRAIN    RAID — STOPPED   BY   THE    DANGER 
SIGNAL.      ^12,000  TAKEN    FROM   THE  ST.    LOUIS  AND 

TEXAS       EXPRESS A       SIXTV-MILE       RIDE THE 

BOOTLESS     PURSUIT ESCAPED      AGAIN 

A  month  had  not  passed  and  Jesse  James  was  at 
work  again.  But  two  short  weeks  after  the  Hot 
Springs  stage-coach  robbery,  and  a  train  was  held 
up  and  plundered.  The  scene  of  operations  selec- 
ted by  the  train  robbers,  was  the  lonely  station  of 
Gadshill,  on  the  Iron  Mountain  road,  seven  or  eight 
miles  from  Piedmont.  It  was  a  cold,  wintry  day, 
the  last  day  of  January,  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  that  a  company  of  seven  well  mounted, 
heavily  armed  men,  rode  up  to  the  flag  station. 

The  town  consisted  of  the  station,  a  blacksmith 
shop,  and  a  small  store.  The  inhabitants  were 
soon  corralled,  and  stowed  away  in  the  station 
with  strict  injunctions  to  remain  quiet.  The 
train  to  be  robbed  was  the  St.  Louis  and  Texas 
Express,  which  was  due  at  5.40  P.  M.  It  was  in 
charge  of  C.  A.  Alford,  the  conductor,  and  there 
were  on  board  a  large  number  of  passengers  and 
some  valuable  express  freight. 

As  the  train  drew  near  Gadshill,  the  engineer  saw 
the  danger-signal  displayed,  and  immediately 
brought  the  train  to  a  standstill.     No  one  was  seen 

Jesse  James  and  his  Band    7 


9^  JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^AND 

upon  the  platform,  but  no  sooner  was  the  engine 
at  rest,  than  Cole  Younger  climbed  aboard,  and,  at 
the  point  of  the  pistol,  drove  the  engineer  and 
fireman  to  the  ground,  where  he  kept  them  during 
the  entire  period  occupied  in  robbing  the  train. 

Mr.  Alford,  the  conductor,  stepped  from  the  car 
to  the  platform  to  see  wJiat  passengers  were  coming 
aboard,  and  was  met  with  the  courteous  request  to 
give  up  his  money  and  watch  and  be  "d — d  quick 
about  it." 

After  giving  up  ^50.00  and  his  watch,  he  was 
put  in  the  little  station  house. 

With  the  train  entirely  in  their  own  hands,  the 
robbers  went  through  the  cars  in  their  usual  man- 
ner, terrorizing  and  robbing  the  passengers. 

It  seemed  incredible  that  a  few  men  could 
successfully  hold  an  entire  train  load  of  people  in 
abject  fear  and  trembling  for  any  length  of  time, 
and  plunder  them  of  their  money  and  valuables 
without  meeting  with  some  resistance,  but,  it  is 
one  thing  to  talk  of  bravery  and  fight,  hundreds  of 
miles  away  from  the  danger,  and  another  thing  to 
be  brave  and  fight  in  the  presence  of  the  same 
dangers. 

Imagine  yourself  curled  up  comfortably  in  your 
seat,  reading,  or  gazing  dreamily  from  the  car 
window.  You  have  been  traveling  some  hundreds 
of  miles,  and  have  settled  into  that  lazy  passiveness 
which  comes  over  one  after  listening  for  hours  to 
the  monotonous  singing  of  the  rails,  and  whirr    of 


fVHAT  IV0ULT>  YOU  DO?  99 

the  wheels.  The  train  slacks  up,  then  stops. 
Nothing  unusual  in  that  you  think,  it  is  merely 
making  its  customary  stop  at  some  station;  but, 
suddenly  the  doors  at  each  end  of  the  car  are  thrown 
open,  and  instead  of  the  familiar  form  of  the  brake- 
man,  you  see  a  burly  figure,  roughly  dressed,  with 
a  mask  of  some  material  over  his  face  and  two  ugly 
revolvers  stretched  out  before  him.  You  suddenly 
awaken  to  the  fact  that  it  is  business.  You  hear 
the  rough,  coarse  tones  of  threatenings  and  oaths, 
as  the  figure  advances  into  the.  car,  and  the  stern 
voice  commanding  you,  under  pain  of  instant  death, 
to  hold  up  your  hands,  keep  still,  and  keep  your 
mouth  shut.  What  will  you  do?  You  know  there  is 
another  such  man  behind  you,  coming  through  the 
other  door,  you  can  hear  his  voice  repeating  the 
same  terrible  threatenings.  Suppose  you  are  a 
brave  man,  with  a  revolver  in  your  pocket.  Will 
you  draw  it?  Will  you  make  a  single  motion  in 
that  direction?  Will  you  jeapordize  the  lives  of 
yourself  and  fellow  passengers,  by  any  attempt? 
How  do  you  know  but  what  the  keen,  eager  eyes 
of  that  strange  figure,  are  upon  you? 

Indeed,  you  will  do  what  is  always  done,  you  will 
keep  still,  with  your  two  hands  up  in  the  air  above 
your  head,  and  you  will  shell  out  every  cent  you 
have  and  be  thankful  you  escaped  so  easily.  Be- 
sides you  don' t  know  but  what  there  are  a  dozen  such 
men  behind  you.  You  dare  not  turn  your  head  to 
investigate.     Curiosity  is  at  a  very    low    discount, 


"loo        JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  'B^ND 

when  your  life  is  to  pay  for  it.  It  is  the  dread  of 
the  unknown  that  keeps  you  in  your  seat,  pass- 
ive and  quiet. 

It  was  just  such  sentiments  and  impulses  that 
actuated  every  person  on  this  particular  train,  and 
the  James  gang  met  no  resistance,  no  hindrance  in 
their  collecting  toll.  The  express  and  mail  cars 
were  plundered,  and,  with  the  booty  obtained  from 
the  passengers,  the  robbers  secured    about    ^12.000 

When  their  work  was  fully  completed,  the  engin- 
eer and  fireman  were  released,  Mr.  Alford,  the 
conductor  set  at  liberty  and  the  train  proceeded  on  its 
way. 

The  train-robbers  mounted  their  horses,  nor  did 
they  draw  rein  or  stop,  until  sixty,  good,  long  miles 
stretched  between  them  and  the  scene  of  their  ex- 
ploit. 

Armed  men  were  at  once  sent  in  pursuit,  and  the 
telegraph  was  utilized  in  all  directions,  but,  it 
was  like  chasing  the  north  wind.  So  rapidly  did 
the  bandits  ride,  and  so  thorough  was  their  geo- 
graphical knowledge  of  the  country,  that  pursuit 
was  always  a  vain  and  bootless  attempt. 

Besides,  it  took  brave  men  to  hunt  these  desper- 
adoes, and  the  paltry  rewards  offered  for  their  appre- 
hension was  no  inducement  for  a  man  to  take  his 
life  in  his  hand,  and  proceed  against  such  desperate 
men  and  unerring  shots  as  Jesse  James,  or  Cole 
Younger. 

Thus  they  escaped  again,  and  the  world  at  large 


ESCAPED  <^G^IN  loi 

laughed  the  officials  to  scorn,  and  held  the  state  of 
Missouri  up  to  ridicule  for  the  lack  of  energy  dis- 
played by  the  police  department. 

But  the  world  at  large,  was  not  personally 
acquainted  with  Jesse  James,  or  the  laugh  would 
have  been  on  the  other  side  of  the  mouth. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  COTERIE  OF  PLUNDERERS.      JESSE    JAMES'    CONFEDERA- 
TION OF  BRIGANDS WHO  COMPOSED  IT?~A  FRATER- 
NITY OF  CUT-THROATS RECKLESS  DARE-DEVILS 

ORGANIZED     RAID     AGAINST     THE     FREE- 
BOOTERS  A     DUEL    TO    DEATH ^JOHN 

YOUNGER  CAPT.    LULL    AND    DE- 
TECTIVE  DANIELS  KILLED 

By  this  time,  it  had  become  clear  to  the  most 
obtuse  observer  of  events,  that  there  was  a  well- 
organized  coterie  of  lawless  men  w^ho  were  banded 
together  for  the  single  purpose  of  plunder.  The 
succession  of  bank  robberies,  stage  plunderings  and 
train  raidings  were  all  executed  by  the  same 
persons.  The  success  which  formed  such  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  affairs,  was  due  to  deep  laid 
plans,  exhaustive  investigations,  and  splendid 
executive  ability. 

The  same  characteristics  were  exhibited  in  every 
crime  and  the  modus  operandi  was  uniform  in  all 
events.  In  fact,  the  coterie,  which  was  responsi- 
ble f©r  Russellville,  Gallatin  and  Corydon,  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  Gadshill  raid,  and  the  Gaines 
Place  stage  robbery.  It  was  Jesse  James  and  his. 
band  of  notorious  outlaws. 

Such  a  confederacy  of  men  had  never  before 
existed.     Crimes  of   such    magnitude,    perpetrated 


CONFEDER^ATION  OF  "BRIGANDS       103 

with  such  unheard  of  impudence  and  audacity, 
had  never  before  been  conceived  of.  It  was  a 
unique  organization,  and  commanded  by  a  wonder- 
ful person,  who  stamped  his  individuality  upon 
every  raid,  and  left  his  trade-mark  on  every 
exploit. 

Jesse  James  had  plenty  of  material  which  he 
could  utilize  at  any  time.  He  had  but  to  issue 
the  word,  and  men  came.  Daring,  bold,  unscrupu- 
lous, heartless,  coldblooded  cut  throats,  who,  with 
reckless  disregard  for  their  lives,  would  obey  his 
slightest  behest. 

He  was  the  leader,  the  executive  head,  but  his 
brother  Frank,  crafty  and  shrewd,  was  the  brainy 
man  of  the  gang.  It  was  he  that  did  the  planning, 
laid  out  the  details,  and  did  the  scheming,  but  Jesse 
was  the  hand  that  executed.  Then  there  was  Cole 
and  Jim  Younger,  second  only  to  the  James  broth- 
ers in  their  particular  line  of  work.  George 
Sheperd  was  a  desperado  of  the  boldest  type, 
and  Sid  Wallace,  another  wild  freebooter,  was  often 
with  the  gang,  Brad  Collins  and  Jack  Chunk  were 
two  Texans  whose  names  were  synonyms  for  blood- 
thirsty crimes  throughout  Texas  and  the  West,  and, 
with  these  were  Tom  Taylor,  Clell  Miller,  Jim 
Cummings,  Jim  Anderson,  Sam  Bass,  Bill  Longley 
— a  desperate  character,  Cal  Carter,  Jim  Reed,  and 
others  of  like  stripe,  who  were  always  proud  and 
anxious  to  get  on  a  raid,  or  rob  a  bank  with  the^ 
James  boys. 


I04         JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

It  was  a  fraternity  of  cut-throats,  who  hesitated 
at  nothing — absolutely  nothing,  when  engaged  in 
any  criminal  adventure. 

With  this  confederacy  of  crime  existing,  this 
band  of  bandits  ranging  Missouri,  Kentucky,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  Arkansas  and  Texas,  dashing  here  and 
there,  pillaging,  murdering,  wrecking  trains,  rob- 
bing banks,  carrying  destruction  wherever  they 
went,  the  entire  West  was  constantly  in  a  state  of 
apprehension.  No  man  felt  safe,  no  home  was 
secure,  no  laws  strong  enough,  no  towns  had  suffi- 
cient  protection  from  these  reckless  dare-devils. 

The  entire  community  became  at  last  thoroughly 
aroused,  and  the  Governors  of  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas offered  large  rewards,  and  the  Express  companies, 
who  had  suffered,  together  with  the  railroads,  augi 
mented  these  rewards  for  the  arrest  or  death  of  any 
or  all  of  the  Jesse  James  band.  Even  the  United 
States  authorities,  through  the  Post  Office  depart- 
ment, took  a  hand  in  the  agitation,  and  determin- 
ed, concerted  action  was  agreed  upon. 

Allan  Pinkerton,  the  noted  detective,  was 
brought  into  requisiton,  and  the  Secret  Service  of 
the  United  States  was  ordered  to  co-operate  with 
him. 

With  this  vast  machinery  set  in  motion,  all 
aiming  for  the  destruction  of  the  marauders,  success 
seemed  certain. 

After  several  consultations,  it  was  concluded 
best  to  send  out  several  parties    of    men    after  the 


%4ID  <^GAINST  FREEBOOTERS        105 

outlaws.  Each  party  or  posse,  working  individu- 
ally, but  all  combining  in  the  good  work  of  exter- 
minating these  murderous  robber-pests.  It  was 
hoped  by  a  simultaneous  movement  of  several 
squads,  that  the  bandits  would  become  demoralized, 
and,  fleeing  from  one  set  of  searchers,  run  into  the 
arms  of  another. 

It  was  known  .  too,  that  the  gang  had  separated 
after  the  Gadshill  affair,  although  probably  in 
communication  with  each  other. 

The  company  that  set  out  in  search  of  the  Younger 
brothers,  consisted  of  the  entire  detective  force  of 
St.  Clair  County,  commanded  by  one  of  Pinkerton's 
best  men;  Capt.  W.  J.  Allen,  whose  real  name, 
however  was  Lull.  They  had  ior  their  guides,  Ed. 
Daniels,  of  Osceola,  and  a  _  St.  Louis  detective, 
named  Wright. 

On  the  morning  of  March  i6th,  1874,  these  three 
men  were  out  on  a  little  expedition  in  advance  of 
the  main  body,  and  their  journey  brought  them 
near  the  home  of  a  man  named  Theodoric  Snuffer, 
a  great  friend  of  the  Younger  brothers.  At  the 
time,  both  John  and  James  Younger  were  concealed 
in  the  house,  and  observing  the  approaching  trio  of 
horsemen,  immediately  comprehended  their  object. 
Arming  themselves  with  shot-guns,  the  desperadoes 
slipped  from  the  house,  and  making  a  slight  detour, 
suddenly  appeared  behind  the  men.  Wright  had 
ridden  some  distance  ahead,  so  it  was  two  against 
two. 


io6         JESSE  J^MES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

Approaching  from  the  rear,  John  Younger  shouted. 

"Halt,  you  d — d  detectives.  Hold  up  your  hands!  " 
at  the  same  time  both  brothers  leveled  their  guns. 
"Now,  d — n  you"  continued  Younger,  "drop  your 
guns,  or  we'll  kill  you." 

The  bandits  had  the  drop  on  them,  so  the  detec- 
tives flung   their  pistol  belts  in  the  road. 

Jim  Younger  picked  up  the  pistols,  while  his 
brother  kept  his  gun  on  the  detectives;  but  by  a 
fatal  carelessness,  lowered  the  barrel  a  second. 
Quick  as  flash.  Captain  Lull  shot  from  a  revolver 
he  had  concealed  in  his  pocket,  and  John  Younger 
fell,  with  a  ball  through  his  throat;  and  the 
carotid  artery  severed.  In  an  instant,  however,  he 
was  up  again,  and  fired  the  full  charge  of  his  gun 
into  Captain  Lull,-  and  both  the  desperado  and 
detective  fell  dead  the  same  second. 

Daniels,  whaalso  had  a  concealed  revolver,  fired 
upon  Jim  Younger,  wounding  him  slightly.  The 
latter,  thrown  into  the  wildest  rage  by  the  death  of 
his  brother,  rushed  upon  Daniels  with  the  ferocity 
of  a  maniac,  but  the  detective  fled  to  the  woods. 
Before  he  had  reached  the  timber,  Younger  had 
drawn  on  him,  and  sent  him  headlong  from  his 
horse,  with  a  bullet  through  the  heart.  Wright 
saved  himself  by  flight. 

Thi?  tragic  affair  terminated  the  search  for  the 
Younger  brothers,  for  Jim  fled  from  that  section  of 
the  country,  swearing  vengeance  upon  the  entire 
detective  force  of  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    SEARCH    FOR    THE     JAMES     BROTHERS DETECTIVES 

AGAINST   THE    OUTLAWS JOHN   WICHER  OF  CHICAGO 

A  FATAL  ERROR THE  DETECTIVE    SPOTTED 

JESSE  JAMES    WARNED WICHER    CAPTURED 

BY     THE      BANDITS THE     DEATH  PRO- 
CESSION  TORTURED MUTIL- 
ATED  MURDERED 

Contemporaneous  with  the  event  which  terminated 
SO  tragically  with  the  death  of  John  Younger, 
Captain  Lull  and  Daniels,  another  drama  wag 
enacted  in  Clay  County. 

It  was  suspected  that  not  only  the  James  brothers, 
but  others  of  the  gang,  were  secreted  in  the  vicinity* 
of  Kearney.  In  fact,  certain  and  reliable  infor- 
mation came  to  the  authorities,  that  Jesse  and 
Frank  James  were  hid  in  the   Samuels    homestead. 

When  the  news  reached  the  Pinkertons  in 
Chicago,  it  was  deemed  best  to  send  some  man  to 
Kearney  and  endeavor  to  corral  the  entire  lot  of 
bush-rangers.  Pinkerton  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  open,  cross-country  hunting  would  fail  when 
such  dashing,  speedy  game  as  the  James  brothers 
was  to  be  chased.  The  mere  fact  that  a  posse  of 
men  were  on  horseback,  would  be  of  enough  impor- 
tance for  some  friend  of  the  bandits  to  send  warning. 

107 


io8         JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  B^ND 

Clay  county  was  full  of  men  who  stood  in  with 
the  audacious  freebooters,  either  from  motives  of 
policy,  sympathy,  or  friendship;  and,  with  all  the 
speed  of  the  fastest  horses,  information  and  warning 
of  impending  danger  would  be  sent  to  Jesse  or 
Frank  James  in  time  for  them  to  take  the  necessary 
measure  for  defence  or  flight. 

With  such  overwhelming  odds  against  them,  the 
authorities  were  practically  helpless. 

Hence,  Mr.  Pinkerton  determined  to  put  his 
detective  skill  and  cunning  against  the  bold  fear- 
lessness of  the  outlaws,  and  the  ready  aid  of  their 
adherents. 

John  W.  Wicher,  a  Chicago  detective,  one  of 
Pinkerton's  best  men,  volunteered  for  this  hazard- 
ous duty.  Although  a  young  man,  he  was  possess- 
ed of  all  the  attriubtes  which  go  to  make  up  a  first 
class  detective.  He  was  cool,  collected,  alert, 
flexible  and  brave.  Over  all,  he  was  ambitious, 
and  success,  in  such  a  proceeding  as  he  contempla- 
ted, meant  renown,  money,  and  assured  future 
prosperity. 

Yet  so  perilous  and  dangerous  was  this  projected 
movement,  that  Mr.  Pinkerton  deliberated  some 
time  before  he  finally  allowed  Wicher  to  depart. 

The  young  detective  had  some  plan  of  his  own, 
and  he  was  sill  ©wed  to  follow  it,  if  he  saw  it  was 
expedient. 

Leaving  Chicago  early  in  March,  he  went  directly 
to  Liberty,  the  county  seat    of    Clay    County,  and, 


e//  F<^T^L  ERROR  109 

while  there,  called  on  Mr.  Adkins,  the  president 
of  the  Commercial    Savings  Bank. 

This  was  a  fatal  error  on  his  part,  for  Liberty 
was  but  a  small  place,  and  a  stranger  was  a  con- 
spicuous object.  Wicher  was  spotted  at  once  by 
Jim  Latche,  who  deemed  it  of  enough  importance 
to  keep  a  wary  eye  on  the  young  man.  He  saw 
Wicher  leave  the  bank,  and  go  to  the  home  of  ex- 
Sheriff  Moss. 

The  detective  had  called  on  Col,  Moss  for  infor- 
mation. He  received  it,  but  it  was  accompanied 
by  an  earnest  plea  from  the  ex-sheriff  to  abandon 
the  hunt  at  once.  The  Colonel  told  the  Chicago 
sleuth  some  terrible  tales  of  Jesse  James,  pointed 
out  to  the  daring  detective  the  fearful  risks  he 
was  taking  in  thus  daring  to  beard  the  lion  in  his 
den,  but,  to  all  these  friendly  pleadings,  Wicher 
turned  a  deaf  ear.  He  had  put  his  hand  to  the 
plow  and  would  not  turn  back  now.  It  was  do  or 
die.  He  did  and  died.  Leaving  the  apprehensive 
Colonel,  Wicher  went  to  a  convenient  place  and 
assumed  the  disguise  of  a  tramp.  Jim  Latche  saw 
him  doing  this,  and  the  detective  was  a  doomed 
man. 

Mounting  his  horse,  the  outlaw  sped  to  Kearney 
and  before  Wicher  had  scarcely  left  Liberty,  Jesse 
James  knew  he  was  coming. 

With  Jesse  James,  v/ere  Jim  Anderson  and  Brad 
Collins.  Resolving  on  their  plan  of  action,  they 
moved  toward  Kearney,  until  removed  a  half  mil« 


1 10        JESSE  JcAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

from  the  Samuels  homestead,  and  here  thej 
awaited  the  young  detective. 

Wicher  reached  Kearney  in  the  afternoon,  and, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation,  proceeded  directly 
for  the  house  of  Dr.   Samuels. 

He  was  passing  up  the  road,  when  suddenly  he 
was  confronted  by  the  three  waiting  outlaws. 
Somewhat  astonished,  but  perfectly  cool,  Wicher 
said: 

"Good  evening." 

"Where  in  hell  are  you  going?"  was  the  brutal 
answer. 

"I'm  hunting  for  a  job.  Can  you  tell  me  where 
I  can  get  one?" 

"Not  by  a  d — d  sight.  Old  Pinkerton  has  given 
you  a  job  that  will  last  you  as  long  as  you  care  to 
live,  I  reckon." 

This  crushing  reply  told  Wicher  that  it  was  all 
up  with  him,  and  he  knew  his  hours  were  num- 
bered, when  Jesse  James  drew  his  revolver  and 
waved  it  maliciously  before  him.  But  Wicher 
was  plucky  and  he  made  one  more  attempt. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  said,  "I  tell  you  I'm 
hunting  for  a  job.  I  don't  know  Pinkerton,  or  any 
of  his  crowd,  and  I  haven't  time  to  fool  with  you 
for  I've  got  to  get  a  place  to  sleep  tonight." 

At  this,  Jesse  James  laughed  outright. 

"You  won't  want  to  sleep  anywhere  tonight, 
young  man,  your  little  game  is  known.  What  did 
you  deposit  money  at  Liberty  for?     What    do    you 


THE  IDETECTIFE  GzA^P  TURED         1 1 1 

want  with  Adkins  and  Moss?  Where  are  your  own 
clothes?  You  d — ^d  fool,  do  you  think  you  are 
smart  enough  to  come  around  here  and  play  some 
of  your  smart  Pinkerton  tricks;  you  can  just  say 
you  killed  yourself,  for  you're  going  to  be  killed. 
Come,  move  on  ! " 

The  detective  was  immediately  disarmed,  bound 
with  a  cord,  and  a  gag  put  in  his  mouth. 

"Damned  fine  hands  for  a  laboring  man,"  said 
one  of  the  outlaws,  pointing  to  Wicher's  soft 
palms. 

"The  dirty  liar  ought  to  die." 

When  evening  had  fairly  set  in,  Wicher  was 
placed  on  a  horse,  and  guarded  by  Jesse  James, 
Jim  Anderson  and  Brad  Collins,  was  taken  from 
the  place  where  they  had  concealed  him,  and  the 
terrible  procession  moved  toward  the  Blue  Hills. 
For  hours  they  rode. 

The  mental  agony  which  racked  the  brain  of  the 
young  detective,  can  only  be  imagined.  He  was  a 
young  husband.  He  had  but  kissed  his  wife  fare- 
well a  few  days  before,  full  of  hope,  life  and  ambi- 
tion. Tonight,  he  was  a  doomed  man,  led  to  his 
execution.  Through  the  country  he  was  taken, 
'every  step,  every  second  bringing  him  nearer  his 
death.  Death,  far  from  his  loved  ones,  death  by 
violence,  death  as  a  reward  for  doing  his  duty. 

The  stern,  gloomy,  pitiless  faces  of  his  self-ap- 
pointed executioners,  peered  at  him  through  the 
dusk,  and  the  hoofs  of  their   shadowy    horses    beat 


112        JESSE  J^AMES  <^ND  HIS  "BAND 

the  cadence  of  the  death  march;  terrible,  agoniz- 
ing music  for  the  man  who  was  to  die. 

At  last  the  appointed  spot  was  reached,  and  poor 
Wicher,  pulled  roughly  from  the  horse,  was  tied  to 
a  tree. 

He  was  relieved  of  the  gag,  and  then  the  hellish 
brutes  began  a  torture  which  would  have  shamed 
the  wild  Indian  of  Arizona.  Refusing  to  divulge 
any  information  concerning  Pinkerton,  he  was 
slashed  with  their  keen  knives  until  his  body  was 
covered  with  cuts.  His  head  was  twisted  until  the 
neck  was  nearly  broken.  He  was  subjected  to  indig- 
nities which  must  have  been  invented  by  a  fiend 
from  hell  j  and  then,  when  the  brutal  monsters  had 
grown  weary,  two  bullets,  merciful  missiles,  sped 
through  his  heart  and  brain,  and  the  young  detec- 
tive was  dead!  With  a  jest  and  a  curse,  the  three 
murderers  leaped  to  their  horses,  and  rode  home  to 
breakfast. 

A  young  wife  in  Chicago,  that  morning  wrote  a 
letter  to  her  dear  husband.  She  knew  he  would 
love  to  read  a  word  from  her.  But  the  husband 
was  a  mutilated  corpse;  ghastly  and  horrid  in  its 
disfigurement,  stark  and  stiff  in  death,  and  thrown 
across  a  country  road,  far  down  in  Jackson  County; 
left  there  by  Jesse  James  as  a  warning;  and  the 
young  wife,  singing,  that  lovely  March  morning, 
busy  with  her  household  cares,  was  a  widow. 

And  thus  ended  the  tragedy  of  Wicher  the  detec- 
tive. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

pinkertOn's  stern  resolve — "exterminate  the  en- 
tire   BROOD  "-SAMUELS'    HOUSE   UNDER  WATCH  AND 
WARD.       THE     ASSAULT    ON     CASTLE     JAMES.       A 

DASTARDLY  DEED CHILDREN  SLAUGHTERED 

BY     HAND-GRENADES MRS.      SAMUELS 

SERIOUSLY  WOUNDED MISERABLE 

FAILURE  OF  THE  ATTACK 

When  the  news  came  to  Pinkerton  that  Wichei 
had  been  murdered,  and  that  Lull  and  Daniels  had 
been  sacrificed  in  ridding  the  world  of  John 
Younger,  the  department  was  agitated  by  conflicting 
emotions  of  the  most  poignant  nature.  Sorrow  and 
grief  for  the  untimely  death  of  the  detectives,  in- 
dignation and  anger  against  the  murderers  for  the 
inhuman  butchery  of  Wicher,  chagrin  and  mortifi- 
cation for  the  failures.  The  skill  and  finesse  of 
the  detective  association  had  been  absolutely  with- 
out virtue.  Cunning  had  been  overcome  by  brute 
force;  craftiness  by  murder,  and  the  inhuman  world 
laughed  and  held  Pinkerton  up  to  undeserved 
scorn. 

All  of  this  spurred  him  to  renewed  efforts,  and  it 
was  determined  to  commence  a  campaign  against 
the  Jesse  James  gang,  which  would  either  extermi- 
nate it,  or  drive  it  from  the  country.  No  half  way 
measures  were  to  be  tolerated,  no  mercy  was  to  be 

Jesss  James  and  his  Band    8 


114        JESSE  JAMES  <^^D  HIS  "B^i^C^ 

shown.     The    entire    brood    was    to  be    swept  from 
Missouri. 

William  Pinkerton,  with  five  of  his  best  men, 
located  in  Kansas  City,  and  at  once  sent  for  the 
sheriff  of  Clay  county.  When  that  gentleman 
came,  the  plans  for  the  campaign  were  thoroughly 
settled,  and  every  bit  of  detail  in  the  matter  of 
exigencies  was  provided  for.  Nothing  was  to  be 
left  for  chance. 

A  strict  and  sleepless  watch  was  put  upon  the 
Samuels'  home,  and  trusty  citizens,  who  were  will- 
ingto  risk  their  lives  in  ridding  Clay  County  of 
the  outlaws,  and  cleansing  the  community  from 
the  approbrium  that  rested  upon  it,  were  em- 
ployed to  keep  watch  and  ward  in  all  sections  of 
the  country. 

One  afternoon,  both  Frank  and  Jesse  James  were 
seen  in  the  yard  before  Dr.  Samuels'  house.  A 
report  to  that  effect  was  forwarded  to  Kearney,  and 
thence  to  Kansas  City. 

The  time  had  come  to  strike  the  decisive  blow, 
and  Mr.  Pinkerton  gave  the  order  to  move  on  to  the 
enemy's  works.  The  day  was  January,  25th,  1875, 
and  at  midnight,  a  strong  posse  of  citizens,  detec 
tives,  and  police  officers  quietly  surrounded  the 
house.  They  were  well  armed  and  provided  with 
fire  balls  made  of  tow,  saturated  with  kerosene  oil, 
and  two  hand-grenades  of  the  most  explosive  pattern. 

Just  at  midnight,  nine  of  Pinkerton's  best  men, 
stepped  forward  to  make  the  first  assault  on  "Castle 


^  DASTA%DL  Y  "DEED  1 15 

James."  Two  of  them  approached  a  side  window 
to  investigate,  and  in  so  doing,  awoke  a  colored 
woman,  who  immediately  gave  the  alarm.  Hastily 
breaking  the  window,  the  flaming  fire  balls  were 
tossed  into  the  room,  and  the  attacking  cordon  of 
men,  their  guns  and  revolvers  ready,  waited  in 
breathless  suspense  for  the  appearance  of  the  two 
desperadoes,  ready  to  shoot  them  down  without 
mercy,  should  they  come  out.  But,  though  the  fire 
and  smoke  drove  Dr.  Samuels  and  his  wife,  Susie 
Samuels,  and  the  childern  to  the  rooms  below,  no 
Jesse  or  Frank  James  appeared. 

Then  occurred  a  dastardly  piece  of  business. 
Overcome  by  the  excitement,  one  of  the  detectives 
hurled  a  hand-grenade  into  the  midst  of  the 
women  and  children,  who  were  huddled  together, 
filled  with  consternation  and  terror.  An  explosion 
followed,  and  from  the  smoke  of  the  bursted  shell, 
came  screams  of  anguish,  and  shrieks  of  pain.  But, 
the  brigands,  the  outlaws,  the  James  brothers,  made 
no  sign.  They  were  fifty  miles  away,  securely 
housed  in  the  home  of  a   friend,    safe    from    harm. 

It  was  a  cowardly  act,  this  throwing  of  the  hand 
grenade.  It  was  entirely  inexcusable,  and  can 
never  be  justified.  When  the  smoke  had  cleared 
away,  the  little  eight-year-old  son  of  Mrs.  Samuels 
was  writhing  in  the  agonies  of  death,  his  entire 
side  torn  away  by  the  explosive.  Mrs.  Samuels 
lay  on  the  floor,  her  left  arm  shattered,  and  hang- 
ing   at    her  side.     Susie    and  an  old  servant,  were 


1 16        /ESSE  JAMBS  A^D  HIS  BAVfD 

covered  with  blood  and  wounds,  and  blood  wa3 
spattered  everywhere. 

The  assaulting  party  were  paralyzed  at  the  sight, 
and  silently  left  the  scene,  just  as  the  little  boy, 
with  a  scream  of  anguish,  turned  on  his  side  and 
expired. 

If  Jesse  or  Frank  James  had  been  present,  the 
results  would  have  been  different.  The  assaulters 
would  have  left  some  of  their  number  dead  on 
the  ground,  but,  the  carefully  planned  attack  ended 
in  the  wanton  slaughter  of  an  innocent,  and  the 
James  brothers  were  still  alive  and  free. 

Several  years  after,  Mrs.  Samuels  was  asked  if 
Jesse  or  Frank  were  home  that  night. 

With  a  stern,  contemptuous  gaze,  the  old  woman 
answered:  "Home?  And  do  you  think  that  if 
either  of  my  boys  had  been  home,  that  those  men 
would  have  escaped.  There  would  have  been  a 
dozen  dead  detectives  if  my  sons  had  been  present.** 
And  she  probably  told  the  truth. 


CHAPTER  XX 

PUBLIC     OPINION     CHANGES SYMPATHY     FOR     THE  JAMFS 

BOYS THE  DETECTIVES  CONDEMNED — A  REMARKA- 
BLE  MEASURE THE  JAMES  BOYS  BEFORE  THE 

LEGISLATURE THE  OUTLAW  AMNESTY 

BILL—  IT  FAILS  TO  PASS. 

The  terrible  tragedy  at  Kearney,  that  25th  of 
January,  was  followed  by  the  funeral  of  the  boy 
that  was  killed.  It  was  attended  by  the  entire 
country.  The  tide  of  sympathy,  by  one  of  those 
curious  incongruities  of  life,  had  turned  in  favor  of 
the  James  boys.  No  matter  what  people  thought 
of  them,  no  matter  how  guilty  they  were,  the  wan. 
ton  slaughter  of  the  innocent,  the  detestable, 
cowardice  exhibited  in  casting  an  explosive  bomb 
into  a  crowd  of  women  and  children,  created  a 
revulsion  of  feeling,  and  the  detectives  were  bit- 
terly condemned  and  denounced. 

Indeed,  the  matter  was  taken  up  by  the  State 
Legislature  of  Missouri,  and  Gen.  Jeff  Jones,  a 
member  from  Callaway  County,  introduced  the 
following  remarkable  measure,  and  championed  it 
by  a  most  eloquent  speech. 

The  following  quotations  will  serve  to    indicate 

the  purport    and    intent  of    the    "Outlaw  Amnesty 

Bill:" 

"7 


ii8       JESSE  JAMES  <^^7^  HIS  B^O^D 

Whereas,  By  the  4th  section  of  the 
nth  Article  of  the  Constitution  of  Mis- 
souri, all  persons  in  the  military  service 
of  the  United  States,  or  who  acted  under 
the  authority  thereof  in  this  state,  are  re- 
lieved from  all  civil  liability  and  all 
criminal  punishment  for  all  acts  done  by 
them  since  the  ist  day  of  January,  A.  D. 
1861:    and. 

Whereas,  By  the  12th  section  of  the  said 
nth  Article  of  said  Constitution  provision 
is  made  by  which,  under  certain  circum- 
stances, may  be  seized,  transported  to, 
indicted,  tried  and  punished  in  distant 
counties,  any  Confederate  under  ban  of 
despotic  displeasure,  thereby  contravening 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and 
every  principle  of  enlightened  humanity; 
and, 

Whereas,  Such  discrimination  evinces 
a  want  of  manly  generosity  and  statesman- 
ship on  the  part  of  the  party  imposing, 
and  of  courage  and  manhood  on  the  part  of 
the  party  submitting  tamely  thereto;  and, 

Whereas,  Under  the  outlawry  pro- 
nounced against  Jesse  W.  James,  Frank 
James,  Coleman  Younger,  Robert  Younger 
and  others,  who  gallantly  periled  their 
lives  and  their  all  in  defense  of  their 
principles^    they    are    of    necessity  made 


THE  OUTLAW  ^iMNESTY  "BILL        119 

desperate,  driven  as  they  are  from  the  fields 
of  honest  industry,  from  their  friends, 
their  families,  their  homes  and  their 
country,  they  can  know  no  law  but  the 
law  of  self-preservation,  nor  can  have  no 
respect  for  and  feel  no  allegiance  to  a 
government  which  forces  them  to  the  very 
acts  it  professes  to  deprecate,  and  then 
offers  a  bounty  for  their  apprehension,  and 
arms  foreign  mercenaries  with  power  to 
capture  and  kill  them;  and. 

Whereas,  Believing  these  men  too  brave 
to  be  mean,  too  generous  to  be  revengeful, 
and  to  gallant  and  honorable  to  betray  a 
friend  or  break  a  promise;  and  believing 
further  that  most,  if  not  all  of  the 
offences  with  which  they  are  charged  have 
been  committed  by  others,  and  perhaps  by 
those  pretending  to  hunt  them,  or  by  their 
confederates;  that  their  names  are  and 
have  been  used  to  divert  suspicion  from 
and  thereby  relieve  the  actual  perpetra- 
tors; that  the  return  of  these  men  to  their 
homes  and  friends  would  have  the  effect 
of  greatly  lessening  crime  in  our  state  by 
turning  public  attention  to  real  criminals, 
and  that  common  justice,  sound  policy  and 
true  statesmanship,  alike  demand  that 
amnesty  should  be  extended  to  all  alike  of 
both  parties  for  all  acts    done    or  charged 


1 20        JESSE  J^MES  <^NT)  HIS  B^N^D 

to  have  beepx  done  during    the    war;  there- 
fore^  be  it 

Resolved,  By  the  House  of  Representatives, 
the  Senate  concurring  therein: 
That  the  Govenor  of  the  State  be,  and  he 
is  hereby  requested  to  issue  his  proclama- 
tion notifying  the  said  Jesse  W.  James, 
Frank  James,  Coleman  Younger,  Robert 
Younger,  and  James  Younger,  and  others, 
that  full  and  complete  amnesty  and  pardon 
will  be  granted  them  for  all  acts  charged 
or  committed  by  them  during  the  late  civil 
war,  and  inviting  them  peacefully  to 
return  to  their  respective  homes  in  this 
state  and  there  quietly  remain,  submitting 
themselves  to  such  proceedings  as  may  be 
instituted  against  them  by  the  courts  for 
all  offences  charged  to  have  been  commit- 
ted since  said  v/ar,  promising  and  guaran- 
teeing to  them  and  each  of  them  full  pro- 
tection and  a  fair  trial  therein,  and  that 
full  protection  shall  be  given  them  from 
the  time  of  their  entrance  into  the  State  and 
his  notice  thereof  under  said  proclamation 
and  invitation. 
The  bill  v/as  introduced  in  March  of  1875,  and 
although  ably  supported,  was  defeated. 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  James  brothers  would  have 
accepted  the  conditions  of  this  act.  To  have  sur- 
rendered to  the  authorities,  meant  either  im.prison- 


NORTHFIELP  BANK  RAID. 


122  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  "BzAND 

ment  for  life  or  death  by  hanging,  and  neither  were 
anxious  to  end  their  liberty  or  existence.  They 
had  been  outlawed  with  all  due  formality  by  Gov. 
Silas  Wordson,  and  this  act  of  the  Legislature 
ratified  the  decree  against  them. 

They  were  doubly  outlawed.  For  them,  there 
was  no  mercy.  Any  man  could  shoot  them  down, 
and  receive  a  full  pardon  for  the  act. 

They  reorganized  after  this  and,  incited  to  further 
acts  of  retaliation  and  revenge  on  account  of  the 
tragedy  at  their  home,  they  entered  more  com- 
pletely than  ever  into  the  dark  life  they  had  been 
leading,  and  resolved  to  do  greater  deeds  and  in- 
spire greater  fear. 

When  Jesse  James  learned  of  the  fatal  conse- 
quences which  attended  the  midnight  attack  on  his 
home,  his  rage  and  fury  knew  no  bounds.  Villain- 
ous and  reckless  as  he  was,  his  filial  affection  was 
well  known,  and  his  family  ties  were  strong.  It 
was  this  affection  which  induced  himself  and 
brother  Frank  to  take  such  risks  in  visiting  his 
mother's  habitation,  and  the  news  of  the  little 
brother's  death  was  a  great  shock  to  this  outlawed 
murderer.  At  once  he  began  investigating. 
Searching  for  the  men  who  were  engaged  in  that 
lamentable  affair.  Suspicion  fell  upon  many,  but 
it  pointed  to  none  so  strongly  as  it  did  to  a  Daniel 
Askew,  a  flourishing  farmer,  whose  land  lay  near 
the  Samuels  house. 

The  utmost    secrecy    had    been    carefully    main- 


mURDER  OF  (MR.  zASKElV  123 

tained  by  the  posse  who  threw  the  fire  balls  and 
hand-grenade  into  the  house  that  25th,  of  January, 
and  the  members  of  the  party,  moved  by  sentiments 
of  personal  safety,  took  every  precaution  to  keep 
their  share  in  the  exploit    from    becoming    known. 

This  Mr.  Askew  even  disclaimed  any  connection 
with  the  assaulting  party.  He  reiterated  again  and 
again,  that  he  had  done  nothing  whatever,  and 
knew  absolutely  nothing  concerning  the  tragedy. 

However,  he  fell  under  suspicion,  and  Jesse 
James  felt  certain  that  Mr.  Askew  was  not  only  one 
of  the  party,  but  was  a  leader  in  the  attack. 

On  the  night  of  April  12th,  following  the  attack 
on  Dr.  Samuels'  home;  Mr.  Askew,  after  his  supper, 
sauntered  to  a  spring  about  two  hundred  feet  from 
his  home  to  get  a  bucket  of  water. 

The  moon  was  full,  and  made  the  night  bright 
as  day.  He  secured  the  water  and  had  returned, 
setting  the  bucket  on  the  porch,  when  three  shots 
rang  out,  and  the  farmer  fell  dead,  pierced  with 
three  rifle-balls. 

The  wife  and  daughter,  startled  by  the  shots, 
rushed  from  the  kitchen  in  time  to  see  three  men 
dart  from  a  woodpile,  mount  their  horses  and  ride 
rapidly  away,  leaving  the  murdered  farmer  stretch- 
ed out  upon  his  own  porch. 

The  three  men  whom  Mrs.  Askew  saw  riding 
away  were  Jesse  and  Frank  James,  and  their  boon 
friend,  Clell  Miller. 

This  murder    again     gave    the    fickle    public  an 


124        JESSE  fAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

opportunity  to  change  its  mind.  Mr.  Askew 
was  a  prominent  man  in  the  community,  and  his 
atrocious  death  filled  the  public  mind  with  a  sin- 
cere desire  to  rid  the  country  of  the  James  brothers 
and  their  lawless  comrades. 

It  became  too  warm  for  the  bandits,  and  they 
pulled  up  stakes,  and  sought  fresh  stamping 
grounds. 

The  members  of  the  party  were  Jesse  and  Frank 
James,  Clell  Miller,  Jim  Reed,  Cole  and  Jim 
Younger.  Decamping  from  Missouri,  they  went  to 
Indian  Territory,  and  turned  horse- thieves.  Tiring 
of  this  innocent  amusement,  they  set  their  faces 
southward  and  invaded  Texas.  The  stage  coach 
which  ran  between  San  Antonia  and  Austin  tempted 
them,  and  they  resolved  to  hold  it  up.  Accordingly 
they  laid  their  plans,  and  March  12th,  1875,  found 
them  in  ambuscade  on  the  stage  road,  twenty-five 
miles  from  Austin. 

The  passenger  list  on  that  eventful  after- 
noon comprised  eleven  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
among  whom  were  Bishop  Gregg  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  bishop  in  charge  of  the  Diocese 
of  Texas,  and  Mr.  Breckenridgc,  President  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  San  Antonio. 

The  passengers  had  eaten  their  supper  at  a  way- 
Bide  station,  and  were  bowling  along  rapidly 
toward  their  destination.  In  the  midst  of  the 
genial  flow  of  conversation,  the  driver  discerned  the 
figures  of  six   mounted    men,    some   little  distance 


5^A^  ANTONIA  STAGE  %OBBED       125 

ahead  of  the  coach,  and  took  them  to  be  rancheros. 
As  they  approached,  however,  he  noticed  that  their 
horses  were  not  the  ungainly  cow-ponies  of  the 
region,  but  fine  animals  of  a  thoroughbred  air. 

Apprehension  filled  his  breast,  and  his  fears  were 
excited.  His  suspicions  were  soon  realized,  for,  as 
he  drew  near  them,  the  foremost  horseman  turned, 
and  presenting  a  huge  revolver,  called  out  in 
tones  of  no  uncertain  sound: 

"Halt  d — n  your  soul,  or  Pll  fill  you  so  full  of 
lead  that  some  tenderfoot  will  locate  you  for  a 
mineral  claim." 

The  driver,  with  the  discretion  bred  of  experi- 
ence, and  the  promptitude  inspired  by  the  business- 
like aspect  of  the  threatening  revolver,  pulled  in 
his  horses,  and  brought  the  stage  to  an  abrupt 
stand-still. 

Immediately,  the  six  brigands  surrounded  the 
vehicle,  and  a  rough  voice  shouted  out: 

"Tumble  out  here  now,  lively.  Come  be  quick, 
if  you  don't  want  to  die  where  you  sit." 

Confusion  reigned.  The  women  threw  themselves 
in  the  arms  of  the  gentlemen,  begging  to  be  pro- 
tected, and  a  fleshy  female, whose  avoirdupois  was  at 
an  inverse  ratio  to  her  spirit,  clung  to  the  reverend 
bishop,  beseeching  him  in  the  most  heart-rending 
terms,  to  preserve  her  from  harm;  but  the  bishop 
was  helpless  in  the  matter.  He  had  been  ordered, 
in  ungentle  accents,  by  a  rough  highwayman  be- 
hind a  monster  of  a  pistol,  to  "tumble  out";  hence 


1:26         JBSSB  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  BAND 

he  tumbled.  Likewise  the  other  gentlemen  of  the 
party,  and  they  were  ranged  in  two  lines  and  guard- 
ed by  a  couple  of  the  robbers,  whilst  the  remainder 
of  the  outlaws  broke  open  boxes,  pried  apart  the 
baggage,  and  ransacked  the  stage. 

The  ladies  were  told  that  no  harm  was  intended. 
They  would  not  be  molested,  all  they  had  to  do 
was  to  keep  quiet. 

After  pillaging  the  stage  the  robbers  turned  their 
attention  to  the  personal  belongings  of  the 
passengers. 

The  Bishop  endeavored  to  escape  the  contribution 
box  by  pleading  that  he  was  a  clergyman,  but  his 
auditors  were  not  in  a  repentant  mood,  nor  were 
they  inclined  to  respect  the  cloth.  They  took 
what  he  had  and  wanted  more;  twitting  him  by 
making  facetious  remarks  concerning  his  calling, 
and  even  venturing  to  suggest  sage  advice  for  his 
future  actions.  Mr.  Breckenridge  proved  a 
bonanza,  for  from  him,  Jesse  James  took  over 
;^i,ooo.  The  ladies  surrendered  their  money  and 
jewels,  and  in  all  they  secured  about  ^3,500. 

After  taking  the  head  span  of  horses,  they  signi- 
fied that  they  were  through,  and  permitted  the 
coach  to  proceed. 

With  this  money  the  gang  was  able  to  live  quite 
comfortably  for  a  time,  but  "easy  come — easy  go," 
the  gang  became  strapped  again,  and  were  ready  for 
another  stroke  of  business.  They  decided  to  try 
railroading  again,  and  soon  had  their  plans  laid 
for  another  raid. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  COUNCIL    OF    BANDITS — A  CHRISTMAS    RENDEZVOUS — 

JESSE  JAMES    ROBS  THE  KANSAS  PACIFIC FIFTEEN 

MINUTES  OF  FORTUNE   GETTING $55,  COO    SE- 
CURED  A    CLEAN,    QUICK   JOB BILL   MC- 

DANIELS  ARRESTED — KILLED  IN  ESCAP- 
ING  ^WEST     VIRGINIA   INVADED 

HUNTINGTON  BANK  ROBBED  OF 
^10,000 TOM  MC' DAN- 
IELS  SHOT ^JACK 

KEEN     CAP- 
TURED 

Some  time  in  December  following  the  San  Antonio 
stage  robbery,  Jesse  James  obtained  information 
that  the  Government  intended  shipping  a  large 
quanity  of  gold  dust  from  Denver,  via  the  Kansas 
Pacific.  Just  how  the  wily  bandits  ascertained 
this  fact,  is  not  known,  but  the  presumption  is  that 
he  had  a  friend  in  "court"  who  kept  him  posted  in 
such  financial  transactions. 

When  he  learned  of  the  projected  shipment,  he 
immediately  called  his  band  together,  and  the 
council  was  held  in  Texas.  As  a  result  of  their 
deliberations,  the  coterie  of  train  robbers  moved 
northward  to  Kansas.  Just  outside  of  Kansas  City, 
some  six  miles  or  so,  is  the  little  town  of  Muncie. 
It  is  hardly  more  than  a  water  tank  on  the  Kansas 
127 


T 28         JESSE  MMES  AND  HIS  BAND 

Pacific  road,  and  is  quite  remote  from  any  habita- 
tions. 

This  little,  insignificant  station  was  the  objective 
point  of  the  outlaws'  journey,  and  here  they  rendez- 
voused Christmas  day. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  the  Express  drew  up  to 
Muncie,  and  the  fireman  was  about  to  spring  up  on 
top  ot  the  tender  to  fix  the  water  pipe,  v^hen  a 
shrill  whistle  was  heard,  and  a  dark  figure  sprang 
from  behind  the  tank,  and  into  the  cab. 

Before  the  engineer  could  fairly  comprehend 
what  was  up.  Bill  McDaniels,  one  of  the  James 
band,  had  leveled  his  revolver,  and  swore  that  he 
would  shoot  to  kill,  if  either  the  engineer  or  fire- 
man made  a  move.  While  McDaniels  was  thus 
intimidating  the  two  men  on  the  engine,  the  raiders 
were  busy  behind,  in  the  cars. 

Rushing  through  the  train,  they  commanded  in- 
stant surender  and  absolute  quiet.  This  command 
backed  up  by  pistols,  was  obeyed  to  the  letter. 
Two  men  stood  on  each  platform,  guarding  the 
train,  while  three  of  them  rushed  into  the  express 
car. 

The  messenger  in  charge  was  quickly  overcome, 
and  in  fifteen  minutes  they  had  looted  the  car  of 
$30,000  worth  of  gold  dust,  and  $25,000  of  silver 
and  other  valuables.  Fifteen  short,  fleeting  minutes 
was  all  the  time  required  to  rob  the  train  of  this 
enormous  amount.  Not  a  finger  was  raised  to  hin- 
der them,  not  a  word  of  protest  was  spoken. 


IVEST  yiRGINM  INJ^<^T>ED  129 

After  the  car  had  been  thoroughly  ransacked,  a 
shrill  whistle  again  gave  the  command,  and  the 
robbers  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

^55,000!  A  clean,  quick  job.  It  was,  to  express 
the  sentiments  of  a  disgusted  railroad  official,  a 
beautiful  bit  of  work,  but  d — d  expensive. 

Some  days  after  the  robbery,  BiH  McDaniels, 
unable  to  stand  prosperity,  undertook  to  give 
Kansas  City  a  strong  coat  of  paint,  of  a  rich  cardinal 
hue,  and,  in  course  of  events,  was  arrested  for  being 
drunk.  On  him  was  found  a  leather  bag  and  a 
large  sum  of  money,  which  he  swore — when  he 
finally  sobered  up — was  honestly  earned  in  Colorado 

But  suspicion  was  aroused,  and  the  redoubtabU 
William  was  removed  to  Lawrence,  Kansas.  To 
Lawrence,  the  unhappy  town  which  once  suffered  by 
the  hands  of  Quantrell.  To  Lawrence,  which  once 
trembled  and  bled  when  the  "black  flag"  swept  her 
streets,  and  now— poetic  justice.  Bill  McDaniels, 
one  of  the  guerillas  that  aided  in  striking  the  fair 
town  so  foul  a  blow,  was  sent  there  in  chains. 

A  detective,  a  certain  O'Hara,  was  detailed  to 
pump  McDaniels,  but  he  did  not  possess  enough 
suction  ability,  for  the  oyster-mouthed  Bill  refused 
to  talk. 

As  the  constables  were  taking  him  from  the 
caboose  for  trial,  the  wily  outlaw  gave  them  the 
slip,  and  escaped  to  the  woods.  For  a  week  he 
escaped  capture,  but  succumbed  to  the  fatal  bullet 
from  the  rifle  of  a  man  named  Bauerman,    and  fell, 


i3o        JESSE  fAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

a  dying  man.  But  even  in  death,  he  remained 
faithful  to  the  gang,  and  died  without  divulging 
the  slightest  hint. 

Rough,  uncouth,  treacherous  villains  were  these 
marauders,  but  faithful  to  their  pals,  and  it  was 
their  boast  and  wish,  that  they  could  die  with  their 
boots  on,  and  die  game. 

It  was  probably  this  sentiment  that  enabled  the 
dying  bandit  to  keep  sacred  the  oath  he  took; 
although  he  was  subjected  to  a  skillful  sweating 
process  in  the  vain  hopes  that .  some  information 
could  be  squeezed  from  him  which  would  be  of  some 
value  as  throwing  light  on  the  Muncie  train 
robbery. 

The  following  April,  West  Virginia  felt  the 
hand  of  the  James  band.  It  is  a  long  jump  from 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  to  Huntington,  West  Vir- 
ginia, but,  business  is  business,  and  such  enter- 
prising business  men  as  the  James  brothers  do  not 
hesitate  to  take  long  business  trips.  Ah!  no,  it  is 
a  mere  jaunt,  and  the  bank  of  Huntington  was 
doing  such  a  neat,  tidy  little  business,  that  it 
looked  like  a  good  investment.  So  the  corporation 
of  James  Brothers  sent  Frank  James,  Cole  Younger, 
Tom  McDaniels — brother  of  Bill,  heroic  Bill,  who 
kept  his  mouth  shut,  and  earned  everlasting  fame 
in  Missouri;  and  a  gentleman  of  sporting  proclivi- 
ties, and  keen  insight  into  the  peculiarities  of 
carrying  balances,    not    in,  but    from    banks,    who 


HUmiNGfON  BANK  %OBBED         1 3 1 

came  from  Texas,  by  the  name  of  Jack  Keen,  as  a 
committee  of  four  to  investigate.  This  committee 
of  distinguished  citizens  from  Missouri,  paid 
Huntington  a  visit,  and  Huntington,  hospitable 
to  a  degree,  felt  that  such  visits  were  expensive, 
and  hereafter,  would  rather  be  excused.  Hunting- 
ton considers  $10,000  a  visit  somewhat  luxurious 
in  the  matter  of  living. 

Huntington  is  a  cosy  little  town  on  the  C.  &  O. 
R..  R.,  and  is  situated  on  the  Ohio  river. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  this  April 
day,  the  cashier  of  the  bank  received  a  call  from 
the  Missourians,  who  had  meandered  down  the 
quiet  street  on  horseback. 

In  the  insinuating  terms  which  have  such  persua- 
sive eloquence  when  accompanied  by  a  life  like 
copy  of  a  business-like  revolver,  Mr.  James  inti- 
mated that  a  loan  of  what  ready  cash  the  bank  had 
on  hand,  would  relieve  him  of  a  temporary  embar- 
rassment which  was  causing  him  much  anxiety. 

The  cashier,  Mr.  Olney,  only  too  glad  to  accomo- 
date such  distinguished  gentlemen,  threw  the 
vault  doors  open,  and  allowed  them  to  help  them- 
selves.    They  did — $10,000. 

In  an  hour,  the  sheriff  and  twenty  five  citizens 
were  after  them,  and  the  Missourians,  feeling  that 
they  had  been  somewhat  precipitate  in  their  deal- 
ings with  the  bank,  clapped  spurs  to  their  horses 
and  fled. 


132        JESSE  f<^MES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

They  fled  just  four  weeks.  Twenty-eight  days 
did  those  citizens  of  Huntington  follow  them. 

Tom  McDaniels  intercepted  a  stray  bullet,  and 
was  buried  where  he  fell.  Jack  Keen  was  captured 
in  Fentress  County,  Tennessee,  and  sent  to 
the  penitentiary  for  eight  years,  but  Frank  James 
and  Cole  Younger  rode  gaily  on,  and  stopped  not 
until  they  were  in  Indian  Territory.  They  divided 
the  $10,000  between  themselves,  $5,000  each;  not 
so  bad. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

JESSE  AND  FRANK  IN  INDIAN  TERRITORY THE   REORGAN- 
IZED    GANG ANOTHER    TRAIN    ROBBERY    PLANNED 

THE  LAMINE  RIVER  BRIDGE-SECURING  THE  RED 
LANTERN ^17,  GOO  TAKEN    FROM  THE  MIS- 
SOURI PACIFIC CUB  KERRY  ON  A  SPREE 

HE  IS  ARRESTED — SQUEALING  NOT 

WISELY,      BUT   TOO  WELL 

HUNTING    FOR   THE 
ROBBERS 

Jesse  James  was  not  engaged  in  the  Huntington 
raid  in  person,  although  he    was    present  in  spirit. 

He  met  Frank,  after  the  latter  had  at  last  eluded 
his  persevering  pursuers,  in  the  Indian  Territory. 

Hardly  had  the  brothers  joined  each  other,  when 
their  active  minds  began  to  plan  another  raid  upon 
the  railroad  companies,  and  they  soon  had  a  care- 
fully prepared  plot  to  rob  an  express  train. 

The  James  boys  were  now  at  the  head  of  a  large 
gang  of  desperadoes,  desperate  villains,  in  for.  any 
crime,  and  anxious  to  assume  any  risk,  so  the  re- 
ward was  ample  enough.  The  McDaniels  brothers, 
the  Shepherd  brothers,  Bill  Longley,  and  some  of 
the  old  gang,  had  shufHed  off  their  mortal  coils, 
but  there  was  still  the  Younger  boys,  Clell  Miller, 
Sam  Bass,  Haskins  and  Moore,  of  Indian 
Territory,  Hobbs  Kerry,  a  Texas  man,  full  of  blow, 
133 


134  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  "BAND 

brag,  and  buck  courage,  Bill  Chadwell  and  Charlie 
Pitts.  These  men  comprised  Jesse  James'  gang  at 
this  time. 

The  train  selected  was  one  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific,  and  the  place  was  Rocky  Cut,  just  where 
the  huge  bridge  spans  the  Lamine  River.  A  watch- 
man was  constantly  employed  on  this  bridge,  and 
his  shanty  was  located  at  one  of  the  terminals. 

The  plan  to  be  carried  into  execution,  was 
siinple.  First,  overpower  the  watchman,  secure 
his  red  lantern,  stop  the  train,  rob  it  and  ride 
away.     The  date  selected  was  July  8th,   1876. 

By  sun-down  of  this  day,  the  entire  party  of 
train-robbers,  had  gathered  at  the  bridge. 

Stealthily  approaching,  they  dismounted  in  a 
thick  bed  of  foliage  near  the  watchman's  house, 
and,  leaving  Bill  Chadwell  and  Hobbs  Kerry  to 
look  after  the  nags,  the  rest  of  the  band  descended 
in  force  on  the  watchman.  *• 

Clell  Miller,  Charlie  Pitts  and  Bob  Younger 
easily  induced  the  frightened  man  to  give  in,  and 
secured  the  coveted  red  lantern. 

In  order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  a  few 
rails  were  l®©sened,  ready  to  be  torn  fr©m  the  ties, 
and  some  ties  and  rocks  were  heaped  upon  the  road 
bed.  But  fortunately,  the  obstructions  were  not 
required.  The  train  came  along,  the  red  light  was 
waved,  and  soon  the  puffing  engine  stood  at  rest, 
and  was  immediately  boarded  by  two  of  the  rob- 
bers, who  held  their  revolvers  against  the  heads  of 


CUB  KERRY  ON  ^  SPREE  135 

the  engineer  and  fireman.  At  the  same  time,  the 
masked  raiders  swarmed  on  the  cars  and  the 
passengers  were  apprised  of  the  fact  that  the  train 
was  in  the  hands  of    professional  robbers. 

The  leaders,  Je^se  and  Frank  James,  Clell  Miller 
and  Bob  Younger,  at  the  points  of  their  revolvers, 
compelled  the  express  messenger  to  open  the  door 
of  his  car,  and  open  the  safe. 

The  booty,  about  $17,000,  was  tumbled  into  the 
leather  sack,  a  shrill  whistle  warned  the  guards 
that  the  task  was  done,  and  the  surrounding  dark- 
ness swallowed  up  the  entire  band  of  marauders. 

Mounting  their  horses,  the  robbers  rode  rap- 
idly from  the  scene,  and,  as  usual,  after  divid- 
ing the  spoils,  separated,  subject  to  call. 

Hobbs  Kerry,  or  Cub  Kerry,  as  he  was  called  by 
his  familiars,  gravitated  to  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  and 
proceeded  to  blow  himself  out. 

His  flush  appearance,  and  reckless  expenditure 
of  the  ready  cash,  aroused  suspicions,  and  the  Cuh 
was  jailed.  After  lying  in  durance  vile  for  a  long 
time,  he  squealed,  but  he  squealed  too  loudly.  He 
squealed  too  long,  and  squealed  too  much.  The 
consequence  was,  that  he  was  not  believed,  and 
although  he  told  all  he  knew  about  the  Lamine 
Bridge  affair,  he  told  a  great  deal  more  than  was 
necessary,  and  so  the  Cub's  squ&aling  did  him  no 
good  nor  the  James  brothers  any  harm. 

Large  rewards  were  offered  for  the  train  robbers, 
but  then,  this  was  always  done  after    the  train  had 


136         JESSE  JAMES  AU^D  HIS  BA[^D 

been  relieved  of  several  thousand  dollars.  It  is 
very  easy  to  offer  rewards,  but  another  thing  to  earn 
them. 

What  though  the  entire  detective  and  constabu- 
lary force  of  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Kansas  and  the 
Indian  Territory  was  out  and  scouring  the  entire 
country,  it  was  worse  than  hunting  the  proverbial 
needle  in  the  proverbial  hay  stack.  Then  again, 
it  was  all  very  pleasant  to  hunt  these  men.  It 
was  like  hunting  the  tiger.  So  long  as  you  are 
hunting  the  tiger,  it  is  all  pleasant,  agreeable  sport, 
but  when  the  tiger  turns  round  and  begins  to  hunt 
you,  well — " 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

BILL     CHADWELL JESSE    JAMES  CONCLUDES  TO  TRY  MIN- 
NESOTA—A CHOICE  PARTY  SELECTED THE     COUNCIL 

OF  WAR NORTHFIELD,  MINN.,  SELECTED-MEET- 
ING AT  MANKATO STUDYING  GEOGRAPHY 

SANGUINE     HOPES     OF   THE  RAIDERS 

COLE      younger' S      DARK 

PRESENTIMENT. 

Bill  Chadwell,  who  had  joined  the  Jesse  James 
gang  just  before  the  Lamine  Bridge  affair,  was  a 
Minnesota  horse-thlef.  In  that  country  he  was 
dreaded  and  feared  as  was  Jesse  James  and  Clell 
Miller  in  Missouri  and  Texas.  He  was  a  wild, 
dashing  blade,  cut  on  the  same  lines  as  the  Mis- 
souri outlaws,  and  was  wanted  in  Minnesota  for 
numerous  little  horse-stealing  affairs.  He  told 
Jesse  and  Frank  James  all  about  Minnesota,  and 
pointed  out  to  them  the  peculiar  advantages  that 
State  offered  for  such  business  enterprises  as  the 
James  brothers  affected.  Minnesota  had  been  com- 
paratively free  from  ftny  such  affairs,  and  Chadwell 
urged  that  an  expedition  into  the  wheat  belt  would 
be  productive  of  great  profits. 

Jesse  James  was  favorably  disposed  to  make  the 
attempt,  and  he  made  up  a  choice  and  select  party 
for  the  occasion.  He  had  another  object  in  trying 
his  luck  in  the  Northern  State.     The  police    were 

137 


13^       JESSE  JAMES  <^i^(Tf  HIS  B^i/^D 

getting  altogether  too  lively  for  comfort.  The  ea- 
tire  country  of  Missouri,  Kansas,  Arkansas  and  the 
Indian  Territory  was  under  close  surveilance,  and 
detectives  were  scouring  and  swarming  everywhere. 

By  making  a  sudden  dash  to  the  North,  the 
police  would  be  thrown  off  the  track,  and  com- 
pletely baffled. 

A  council  was  held,  and  the  Minnesota  man*s 
plans  laid  before  the  select  party.  This  gang  con- 
sisted of  Jesse  and  Frank  James,  Cole,  Jim  and 
Bob  Younger,  Charlie  Pitts,  Clell  Miller  and  Bill 
Chadwell.  It  was  decided  to  move  on  to  North- 
field,  a  town  in  Rice  County,  on  the  C.  M.  &  St. 
P.  R.  R. 

The  Northfield  bank  was  reputed  to  be  a  very 
wealthy  institution  and  offered  great  inducements  to 
the  avaricious  outlaws. 

When  all  was  arranged,  the  eight  men  separated, 
and  made  their  various  ways  to  Mankato,  where 
the  entire  ground  was  gone  over.  The  great  fac- 
tor, which  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  successful 
issue  of  their  various  raids  and  robberies,  was  the 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  country  which  the 
James  brothers  possessed.  Every  road,  cross-road, 
short-cut,  lane,  ford,  creek,  bridge,  hill  and  gully  in 
Missouri  were  familiar  objects  to  them.  They 
knew  where  they  were  and  where  they  could  go. 
In  the  darkest  nights,  their  swift  horses  would 
bear  them  over  rough  countries  which  would 
appall  aa  ordinary  horseman  in  broad  daylight. 


THE  COUNCIL  OF  IVA%  139 

They  made  it  a  practice,  never  to  make  a  move 
until  the  geography  of  the  adjacent  and  surrounding 
country  was  mastered. 

In  this  case,  they  were  dependent  on  Bill  Chad- 
well  for  guidance,  but  he  knew  Minnesota  and  Iowa 
as  well  as  the  James  brothers  knew  Clay  County, 
Missouri,  or  Charlie  Pitts  the  Pan  Handle  of 
Texas. 

Everything  pointed  to  a  successful  raid.  It  was. 
to  be  done  as  it  had  always  been  done.  The  same 
tactics  were  to  be  pursued,  hence,  the  same  results, 
hence,  success. 

With  these  sanguine  hopes,  the  bank-raiders 
perfected  their  plans  for  robbing  the  Northfield 
bank.  They  were  domiciled  at  the  house  of  a 
friend  of  Chadwells,  in  Mankato,  and  made  several 
trips  to  Northfield  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
acquainted  with  the  country,  and  familiar  with  the 
immediate  surroundings.  Cole  Younger  did  not 
approve  of  this  raid.  Some  premonition  of  dis- 
aster impelled  him  to  urge  another  place.  He  said 
he  would  rather  try  Canada,  Quebec  or  Toronto  in 
preference  to  Northfield.  But  the  matter  was 
put  to  a  final  vote,  and  N©rthfield  won.  It  was 
September  3rd,  1S76,  when  the  decision  was  made, 
and  it  was  determined  to  make  the  attempt  th© 
following  Thursday,   September  6th. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

NORTHFIELD,  MINN. THE  FATAL  SIXTH    OF    SEPTEMBER — ■ 

THREE   STRANGE   HORSEMEN FIVE    DEMONS    TERRIFY 

NORTHFIELD.        "i'LL    DO   MY  DUTY  IF  I  DIE  FOR 
IT."     T.    L.    HAYWOOD,    CASHIER,    MURDERED 

PANDEMONIUM   REIGNS  SUPREME — A 

MEDICAL  NIMROD CHARLIE   PITTS 

KILLED BILL  CHADWELL  SHOT 

JIM      YOUNGER     WOUNDED 
—A  DISASTROUS   FAIL- 
URE  THE  RIDE  FOR 

LIFE RETRIBU- 
TION PUR- 
SUES 

Northfield,  itself,  has  a  population  of  twenty-five 
hundred  people.  It  is  located  in  the  north-eastern 
section  of  Rice  County,  on  the  line  of  Dakota 
County,  and  is,  next  to  Faribault,  one  of  the 
chief  towns  of  Rice  County.  Surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  the  rich  wheat  belt  of  Minnesota  it  was  a 
thriving,  prosperous  city. 

The  farming  community  dependent  on  Northfield 
for  supplies,  was  of  that  intelligent,  progressive, 
sturdy  stock  that  has  placed  Minnesota  in  the 
front  ranks  of  statehood,  and  created  an  enlightened 
civilization  that  is  the  admiration  of  the  country. 

The  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railway 
passed  through  Northfield,  and  was  an  important 
factor  in  its  progress  and  active  condition. 

140 


TH%EE  ST%A^GE  HO%SE{ME^        141 

About  noon,  on  this  fatal  sixth  of  September, 
three  strange  men  on  horse-back,  came  into  North- 
field,,  from  the  north,  and  ate  their  dinner  in  a 
hotel  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  They  entered 
freely  into  conversation,  even  wagering  money  on 
the  coming  election.  No  one  knew  who  they  were 
nor  suspected  them  of  any  evil  intentions,  yet 
these  cool  horsemen  were  Jesse  James,  Frank  James 
and  Cole  Younger.  After  a  hearty  dinner,  the  trio 
mounted  their  horses,  and  rode  leisurely  toward 
the  bank,  which  was  located  in  the  prominent  busi- 
ness block  in  the  public  square. 

Dismounting,  they  tied  their  horses  in  front  of 
the  bank,  and  remained  on  the  sidewalk,  convers- 
ing in  a  most  ordinary  manner  for  a  few  minutes, 
then  turned  and  entered  the  bank.  As  they  did  this, 
three  horsemen  dashed  across  the  bridge  at  full 
speed,  carrying  revolvers  in  their  hands.  As  soon 
as  they  had  entered  the  town,  they  commenced 
shooting  indiscriminately  to  the  right  and  left, 
shouting  and  yelling  all  manner  of  threats.  At  the 
same  moment  two  other  mounted  men  appeared 
from  the  west,  yelling  like  demons  and  firing 
their  pistols,  commanding  the  people  to  remain 
in  their  houses.  When  the  five  men  met  before  the 
bank,  they  faced  in  different  directions  and  flour- 
ishing their  revolvers,  swore  to  kill  instantly,  any 
man  who  dared  approach  them. 

Meantime,  the  three  outlaws  who  had  entered  the 
bank  were  engaged  in  committing. a  most  dastardly 


t42        JESSE  JAMES  <^^D  HIS  "B^O^D 

murder.  The  cashier,  Mr.  J.  L.  Haywood,  glanced 
up  as  the  men  passed  through  the  door,  and  was 
confronted  by  a  large  revolver.  Without  a  moment's 
hesitation  the  three  robbers  sprang  over  the  counter 
and  Frank  James,  drawing  his  knife,  held  it  at  the 
cashier's  throat,  and  ordered   him  to  open  the  safe. 

Nothing  daunted  by  his  perilous  position,  the 
courageous  man  said: 

"I  will  do  no  such  thing." 

"Quick  now. "  commanded  Jesse  James,  placing 
his  revolver  at  Mr.  Haywood's  head,  "or  you  die 
like  a  dog." 

"I  can't  help  that!"  was  the  brave  reply.  "I'll 
do  my  duty  if  I  die  for  it." 

"Then  G — d  d — n  you,  die!"  said  Jesse  and  he 
pulled  the  trigger. 

Poor  Haywood  dropped  dead  at  his  murderer's 
feet. 

Cole  Younger  then  turned  to  the  assistant  cashier, 
Mr.  A.  E.  Bunker. 

"Come  here,  d — n  you,  and  open  this'safe!" 

Bunker  disclaimed  all  knowledge  of  the  combi- 
nation, and  with  a  wild  dash,  gained  the  back  door. 
As  he  was  escaping.  Younger  fired,  and  Mr.  Bunker 
received  the  bullet  in  his  shoulder.  He  escaped 
without  further  damage.  The  junior  clerk,  Frank 
Wilcox,  slipped  away  without  molestation. 

While  the  baffled  murderers  were  making  a  vain 
search  for  the  money-box,  retribution  had  over- 
taken their  comrades  outside. 


^  MB'DICAL  V^tO^Cfi  143 

Dr.  Wheeler,  a  plucky  physician,  who  occupied 
rooms  opposite  the  bank,  heard  the  commotion, 
and,  looking  through  the  windows,  saw  the  entire 
proceedings.  Picking  up  a  shot  gun,  he  took  de- 
liberate aim,  and  sent  the  entire  charge  of  shot  into 
the  heart  of  Charlie  Pitts,  who  gave  one  wild  yell, 
crying  as  he  threw  up  his  arms,  and  fell  from  his 
plunging  horse: 

"My  God!    Boys,  Pm  done  for!" 

Again  the  Doctor  fired,  and  Bill  Chadwell,  the 
notorious  and  dreaded  horse-thief  of  Minnesota, 
fell  in  mortal  agony  upon  the  ground. 

By  this  time,  others  had  joined  in  the  fray.  A. 
K.  Manning,  Joseph  Hyde,  and  George  Betts  ob- 
tained guns,  and  began  firing.  Another  outlaw 
dropped  and  his  horse  ran  away,  but  Clell  Miller, 
dashing  forward,  threw  the  wounded  man  across  the 
saddle — it  was  Jim  Younger --and  fled  for    his  life. 

In  the  midst  of  the  melee,  Jesse  and  Frank 
James,  and  Cole  Younger  ran  from  the  bank.  They 
did  not  find  the  money,  and  now  it  was  a  matter  of 
life  or  death. 

Quickly  mounting  their  horses,  they  fled,  firing 
right  and  left. 

Bill  Chadwell  and  Charlie  Pitts  lay  dead  before 
the  bank  doors.  Jim  Younger,  fearfully  wounded, 
was  carried  by  Clell  Miller;  and  Jesse  James, 
Frank  James,  Cole  Younger  and  Bob  Younger  were 
fleeing  for  their  very  lives,  before  the  furious 
citizens  of    Northfield,  who,  mad  with  excitement, 


144         JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  B^ND 

and  at  a  white  heat  for  vengeance,  had  instantly  set 
out  in  pursuit  of  the  blood-thirsty  villians  who  had 
so  wantonly  murdered  Mr.   Haywood. 

The  telegraph  sped  the  news  on  all  sides,  and 
pursuing  parties  sprang  up  in  every  direction. 
Retribution  was  swiftly  following  the  flying  brig- 
ands. The  avenger  of  blood  was  hot  on  their  trail. 
Disaster,  like  a  dark  cloud  hovered  over  them, 
threatening  every  instant  to  engulf  them  in  its 
deadly  folds. 

On  and  on  they  sped.  Faster  and  faster  they 
flew,  but  swifter  than  their  fleet  steeds,  Justice 
followed,  and  the  bank-robbers  could  almost  see 
the  flash  of  her  terrible  sv/ord.  It  was  a  fatal, 
dreadful  day  for  them.  Defeat  and  disaster,  death 
and  wounds,  flight  and  capture  were  theirs  instead 
of  booty.  Truly  the  ways  of  the  transgressor  is  hard. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

FOUR  HUNDRED     AFTER     SIX MINNESOTA    UP    IN    ARMS— 

^6,000  REWARD  OFFERED A  HUNT  TO  THE  DEATH 

FLEEING    FROM    JUSTICE A    FEARFUL   JOURNEY 

THE  BLOOD-MARKED  TRAIL  — SIX  DAYS  OF  TER- 
RIBLE    SUFFERING THE     OUTLAWS    SEPA- 
RATE— CLELL     MILLER    KILLED — THE 
YOUNGER    BROTHERS     SURRENDER 

— IMPRISONED      FOR      LIFE 

JESSE  AND  FRANK  ESCAPE 

THE     GANG     DIS- 

MEMBERED 

Before  Jesse  James  and  his  comrades  had  fairly- 
got  out  of  town,  fifty  men,  earnest,  determined 
citizens  of  Northfield,  were  in  the  saddle  and  in 
furious  pursuit  of  the  bandits. 

The  news  of  the  murder  had  been  telegraphed 
far  and  near.  Every  town  in  Minnesota,  Iowa  and 
Dakota  had  complete  descriptions  of  the  murderers, 
of  their  horses  and  clothing,  and  before  twenty- 
four  hours  had  elapsed,  four  hundred  men  were 
searching  for  six. 

Sentinels  and  guards  were  posted  at  every  bridge 
and  ford,  every  road  had  its  vigilant  watchers, 
waiting  for  these  terrible  six  men  to  come  along. 
Every  town  was  on  the  qui  vive,  and  every  man  in 
Minnesota,  constituted  himself  a  posse  of  one  to 
Jesse  James  and  His  Band  jo 


146        JESSE  J^MES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

help  hunt  down  the  dastards  and  scoundrels  who 
had  killed  a  brave  man. 

The  news  reached  St.  Paul,  and  Gov.  Pillsbury 
at  once  offered  a  reward  of  ;^  1,000  for  each  robber 
or  $6,000  for  the  gang.  Then  began  a  hunt  to  the 
death. 

Four  hundred  hunters  against  six  hunted. 

Beset  on  all  sides,  hemmed  in  from  every  quar- 
ter, the  outlaws  left  the  roads  and  took  to  the 
fields  and  woods.  They  were  in  sore  straits.  With- 
out a  guide,  for  Bill  Chadwell,  who  was  to  bring 
them  safely  out  of  the  country,  was  lying  dead  in 
Northfield;  the  little  band  of  fugitives  knew  not 
which  way  to  turn.  The  country  was  strange,  the 
route  unknown.  Still  they  sped  onward,  turning 
and  twisting,  doubling  on  their  trail,  hiding  in 
thick  bushes,  making  wide  detours  to  avoid  their 
pursuers,  skirting  cultivated  fields  and  stealing 
past  towns  and  villages,  but  always  pushing  on. 

Jim  Younger,  suffering  from  a  terrible  wound, 
was  enduring  untold  agonies.  His  blood  many 
times  served  as  a  trail  for  his  hunters. 

They  left  Rice  County,  and  passed  into  Le  Seur 
County,  and  finally,  after  six  days  of  terrible  suff- 
ering, reached  the  vicinity  of  Mankato.  For  six 
days  they  had  lived  on  green  corn,  and  famished 
with  hunger,  they  came  to  a  farm  house  and  begged 
for  a  chicken.  But  their  pursuers  were  close  at 
hand.  They  were  seen  and  fired  upon,  and  both  the 
James  brothers  received  serious  wounds. 


MURDER  OF  WESTFALL. 


14^         JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

They  had  long  ago  turned  their  horses  loose,  and 
were  making  this  dreadful  retreat  on  foot.  Escap- 
ing from  the  men  who  had  seen  them  at  the  farm 
house,  they  slunk  into  the  woods  and  the  next  day 
agreed  to  separate.  Jesse  and  Frank  James  sought 
the  bottoms  of  the  Blue  Earth  river,  and  Clell 
Miller,  with  the  three  Younger  brothers,  took 
another  route. 

The  latter  party  passed  through  Blue  Earth 
County,  and  entered  Watonwan  County.  Here  they 
were  seen,  and  Sheriff  McDonald  tracked  them  to  a 
swamp  near  Madelin,  and  the  four  bandits  were 
surrounded.  Hundreds  of  men  flocked  to  the 
scene,  closer  and  closer  was  the  human  coil 
tightened  around  the  doomed  four. 

Hungry  and  starving,  covered  with  wounds,  their 
clothing  torn  to  shreds,  their  shoes  worn  away  to 
the  bare  soles,  the  pitiful  four,  back  to  back, 
fought  four  hundred.  They  saw  there  was  no  escape, 
and  with  the  desperation  of  despair,  they  grit 
their  teeth  and  fought.  A  rifle  ball  tore  away  the 
lower  jaw  of  Jim  Younger,  and  his  shriek  of  agony 
chilled  the  blood  of  all  who  heard  it.  Yet,  he 
fought  on. 

Again  an  agonizing  yell  -  penetrated  the  dismal 
recesses  of  the  swamp,  and  Clell  Miller  sank  to  the 
ground,  and  died.  But  still  the  three  brothers 
fought.  Fought  while  the  cordon  of  men  drew 
nearer,  fought  while  the  rifles  of  their  pursuers 
were  almost   touching   them,    fought    until    with  a 


JESSE  AND  FRANK  ESCAPE  149 

sudden  rush  of  many  men,  they  were  held  by  strong 
arms,  and  bound  by  stronger  cords. 

They  were  taken  to  Madelia,  and  there  they  lay 
for  months,  suffering  from  wounds  which  would  have 
killed  ordinary  men.  At  last  they  were  brought  to 
trial  before  the  Rice  County  Court,  in  Faribault, 
and,  pleading  "guilty",  were  taken  to  Stillwater, 
and  the  penitentiary  gates  closed  upon  them  for 
the  rest  of  their  lives.  They  were  doomed  to  a 
living  death. 

Jesse  and  Frank  James  escaped.  After  leaving 
the  Younger  brothers,  they  plunged  into  a  wild 
unbroken  wilderness,  with  no  guide  but  the  sun  by 
day  and  the  stars  by  night.  Surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  determined  foes,  they  were  constantly  in 
peril  of  detection.  So  closely  were  they  pursued, 
that  for  ten  days  they  lived  on  green  corn  and  raw 
potatoes,  not  daring  to  make  a  fire.  They  swam 
rivers  and  waded  streams,  climbed  hills  and  dove 
into  dark  gullies.  But,  through  it  all  they  passed 
safely,  until  the  open  country  was  reached,  and  here 
they  bought  horses,  and  secured  a  warm  meal.  All 
night  they  rode,  and  were  congratulating  them- 
selves on  their  escape,  when  they  were  met  by 
seven  armed  and  mounted  men,  who  attempted  to 
arrest  them.  But  the  James  boys  were  on  horses, 
and  armed,  and  when  they  left  the  attacking  party, 
two  of  them  were  killed,  and  three  wounded. 

Through  Iowa  they  rode  and  into    Missouri,  and 
it  was  not    until    they    had    reached  Clay  County, 


I50         JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

that  they  breathed  freely,  for  then  they  were  safe. 
But  their  gang  was  broken  up.  Bill  Chadwell 
Charlie  Pitts  and  Clell  Miller  were  dead.  Jim, 
Bob,  and  Cole  Younger  were  in  the  Stillwater 
prison.  But  the  James  brothers  were  left.  The 
two  were  alone  to  tell  the  tale  of  that  disastrous 
raid  on  the  Northfield  bank.  Cole  Younger' s  pre- 
sentiment had  been  realized.  It  was  a  fatal  error, 
an  irretrievable  mistake. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

A  ROMANTIC  CHAPTER — ^JESSIE  AND    FRANK   IN    MEXICO 

SILVER-LADEN  MULES THE       JAMES       BROTHERS 

SUSPECTED LIVING      IN      OBSCURITY DANCING 

THE  FANDANGO — ^PRETTY  TALES  TOLD  OF  THE 
OUTLAWS — THE  JAMES  BOYS  AS  HEROES 
RESCUING   FAIR   MAIDENS RO- 
MANTIC BUT SCARCELY 

For  the  next  three  years,  Missouri  was  freed  from 
the  James  brothers.  They  found  that  even  Clay 
County  would  not  shield  them  from  the  pursuing 
fury  of  the  Northfieldians,  and  making  discretion 
the  better  part  of  valor,  the  two  outlaws  bade 
their  mother  a  fond  farewell,  and  journeyed  to  the 
land  of  the  Montezumas.  It  is  said  that  they 
settled  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Chihua- 
hua, Mexico,  and  in  the  course  of  several  months, 
secured  some  well  filled  purses  from  traveling 
tourists    and  merchants. 

While  they  were  living  in  that  country,  a  caravan 
of  six  pack  mules,  each  carrying  150  pounds  of 
silver,  and  guarded  by  eighteen  men,  was  captured 
by  five  men,  the  guards  killed  and  dispersed,  and 
the  treasure  taken  by  the  robbers.  The  leaders  in 
this  little  episode  were  said  to  have  been  Jesse 
and  Frank  James.  But  this  is  scarcely  true. 
Silver  bullion,  such  as  was  carried  by  pack  mules, 

151 


152         JESSE  JzAMES  <^ND  HIS  "BAND 

v/as  not  so  easily  converted  into  coin  of  the 
realm. 

Too  many  inquisitive  questions  were  asked,  and 
one  could  hardly  sell  it  as  one  could  old  clothing 
or  ancient  shoes.  It  is  hardly  possible  that  all 
the  highv/ay  robberies  committed  at  this  time, 
could  have  been  done  by  the  James  brothers.  It 
became  quite  the  habit,  when  any  crime  of  more 
than  ordinary  atrocity  was  heard  of,  to  at  once  lay 
it  to  either  Jesse  or  Frank  James,  or  both. 

Doubtless  both  the  young  brigands  robbed,  plun- 
dered and  murdered,  during  these  three  years  of 
exile,  but  this  period  of  their  lives  is  shrouded 
in  obscurity,  and  romancers  have  taken  advantage 
of  this  indefiniteness  to  weave  all  manner  of  roman- 
tic tales  which  have  the  James  brothers    as  heroes. 

They  have  been  pictured  as  attending  fandangoes, 
and,  in  a  spirit  of  mere  mischief  inciting  a  row 
which  would  enable  them  to  display  their  superior 
marksmanship,  or  their  dashing  qualities  of 
bravery,  always,  of  course,  killing  something  less 
than  a  baker's  dozen  of  Greasers,  and  carrying  off 
the  most  beautiful  maidens  present  at  the  dance. 

But  the  origin  of  these  tales  is  clouded  in  mys- 
tery. They  only  existed  in  the  fertile  brain  of 
some  romancer. 

.  The  fact  is,  that  it  would  have  been  positively  un- 
safe for  the  tv/o  James  brothers  to  court  any  sort  of 
publicity.  There  were  laws  of  extradition  in  exist- 
ericQ  v/hich  vvould  land  them  into  the  hands  of  the 


JESSE  ANT>  FR^NK  IihC  MEXICO        153 

United  States  authorities,  and  bring  a   sudden  ter- 
mination to  their  career. 

But  writers  must  live  and  Jesse  James  has  been 
the  means  of  paying  many  a  board  bill  for  some 
moneyless  ink-slinger. 

The  limit  was  reached  though,  the  limit  of 
credulity,  when  the  blood  stained  villian  is  cred- 
ited with  rescuing  a  fair  young  maiden  from  the 
hands  of  a  band  of  Greasers  who  had  abducted  the 
beauteous  damsel  from  her  father's  home.  The 
story  goes  that  the  brothers,  hearing  of  the  outrage, 
shed  manly  tears  of  pity  over  the  sad  fate  of  the 
unfortunate  lady,  and  then,  swearing  the  customary 
oath — it  is  absolutely  essential,  in  affairs  of  this 
kind,  that  the  gallant  would-be  rescuers  s^iould 
grasp  each  others  hand  and  swear  deep  and  loud, 
that  they  will  not  return  until  they  bring  the 
abducted  maiden,  safe  and  secure,  to  her  gray- 
haired  sire,  they  mounted  their  fleet  chargers  and 
sallied  forth  on  their  noble  errand  of  rescue. 

After  a  forced  march  of  many  miles,  they  came 
upon  the  band  of  woman  stealers.  As  usual,  the 
band  was  eating  and  drinking,  and  making  merry 
over  their  exploits,  and,  as  is  also  usual,  the  unfortu- 
nate damsel  was  seated  apart  from  them,  wearied, 
sad,  and  heart-broken,  attended  by  the  ever-faithful 
colored  boy  who  always  dies  before  he  leaves  his 
mistress. 

Then  came  the  charge,  the  terrible  volley,  and 
at  once,  half    the    Greasers    were    killed,  and    the 


154  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  "B^ND 

other  half  sent  flying  over  the  plains  while  the 
fair  lady  fainted,  and  was  only  brought  around  by 
the  devoted  attentions  of  Jesse  James,  and  an  un- 
stinted supply  of  brandy. 

It  was  all  very  pretty,  but    somewhat   shopworn. 

If  Jesse  James  did  do  this,  is  was  because  the 
father  of  the  girl  offered  a  good  sized  bonus  to  any 
one  that  would  rescue  his  daughter.  A  man  who 
would  heartlessly  and  without  any  compunctions 
of  conscience,  shoot  down  an  unarmed  man  simply 
because  he  refused  to  give  up  the  combination  of  a 
bank-vault,  or  who  would  deliberately  cut  the  throat 
of  an  old,  gray-haired  man,  merely  to  avenge  a 
fancied  insult,  is  not  in  the  habit  of  going  around 
the  country  rescuing  maidens,  unless  there  is 
something  in  it.     Scarcely. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THREE     BLISSFUL     YEARS — MISSOURI'S    RUDE  AWAKENING 
THE  GLENDALE  RAID CHICAGO  AND   ALTON    RAIL- 
ROAD    HELD     UP — PLUCKY  WILL  GRIMES — ^JESSE 
JAMES'    TELEGRAM— A     THIEF     TO    CATCH  A 

THIEF JIM     ANDERSON     MURDERED 

GEORGE  SHEPHERD  SHOOTS  JESSE 

JAMES  PREMATURE 

JUBILATION 

For  three  blissful  years,  Missouri  had  lived  in 
happy  security.  For  three  years  no  sensational 
reports  of  another  flagrant  crime  had  been  flashed 
over  the  wires,  giving  the  outside  world  further 
opportunities  of  jeering  and  jibing  or  make  sar- 
castic paragraphs  in  sneering  journals  regarding 
the  law  and  order  of  the  scourged  State. 

And  Missouri  had  really  begun  to  think  that  she 
was  at  last  effectually  and  permanently  rid  of  her 
"thorn  in  the  flesh."  She  felt  that  "she  could 
occasionally  take  a  cat-nap  once  in  a  while,"  with- 
out having  a  robbery  or  murder  committed. 

She  even  dared  imagine  that  she  could  now  safely 
indulge  in  a  good  night's  sleep. 

But  Missouri  was  too  sanguine.  Her  pests  were 
not  dead,  but  merely  sleeping,  and  one  day,  Mis- 
souri awoke  herself  from  her  sweet  dream  of 
security,  with   a  great    gasp    of    terror,    for   Jesse 

155 


1 56         JESSE  J^AMES  ^/iNT>  HIS  B^N^D 

James  had  once  more  shaken  the  land  with  his 
heavy  tread. 

Glendale,  a  station  on  the  Kansas  City  branch 
of  the  Chicago  and  Alton  R.  R.  is  located  in 
Lafayette  County,  Missouri.  It  is  nothing  but  a 
flag-station,  situated  in  a  lonely  country,  rough  and 
rugged  in  character,  full  of  ravines  and  gullies, 
and  surrounded  by  large  hills.  Besides  the  station, 
there  was  little  else  to  the  place.  A  general  store, 
similar  in  character  to  most  country  stores,  connect- 
ed with  the  post  office,  and  a  few  frame  buildings, 
constituted  the  tangible  part  of  Glendale. 

On  the  evening  of  October  7th,  1879,  the  post 
master  and  the  rest  of  Glendale,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  station  agent,  were  loafing  before  the 
door  of  the  post  office  when  a  body  of  rough  looking 
men,  masked  and  armed  with  revolvers  and  knives 
suddenly  appeared. 

Without  losing  any  time,  the  citizens  of  Glen- 
dale were  marched  to  the  railway  station,  with 
strict  orders  to  keep  quiet  tongues  in   their   heads. 

Arriving  at  the  station,  the  leader  stepped  in- 
side, and  approaching  the  agent,  Mr.  Mclntyre, 
remarked  casually  that  he  wanted  to  send  a 
message. 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Mclntyre,  coming  forward 
"what  is  it?" 

In  a  jiffy  he  was  seized,  the  telegraph  instrument 
torn  from  the  wires  and  demolished,  and  he  was 
told  that  he  was  a  prisoner. 


CHICAGO  &-  <^LrON  %0'BBED         isi 

"Now  lower  that  green  light!  "  was  the  next  com- 
mand. 

"But  the  train  will  stop  if  Ido. " 

"Just  so.  That  is  what  we  want  it  to  do.  Come, 
lower  that  green  light, or — "  and  the  sentence  was 
completed  by  a  significant  movement  of  the  revol- 
ver. Helpless  to  do  aught  else,  the  agent  lowered 
the  green  light,  as  he  had  been  ordered. 

"Is  there  any  one  up  stairs?"  inquired  the  leader. 

"Yes,  my  mother  and  Mr.  W.  E.  Bridges,  traveling 
auditor  of  the  road."  said  Mclntyre,  telling  the 
truth,  for  he  could  do  nothing  else. 

One  of  the  men  assended  the  stairs,  and  before 
Mrs.  Mclntyre  or  Mr.  Bridges  was  aware  that  any- 
thing out  of  the  common  was  on  the  tapis,  the 
auditor  was  robbed  of  his  watch  and  money,  and 
sent  down  stairs, 

When  these  preliminary  arrangements  had  been 
completed,  the  masked  men  concealed  themselves 
and  waited  for  the  train. 

It  drevvT  up,  and  stopped.  As  it  did  so,  two  of 
the  robbers  sprang  into  the  engine  cab,  and  de- 
manded the  coal  hammer. 

"What  do  you  want  with  it?"  asked  the  engineer. 

"Nevermind!  Hand  it  here  quick  or  you'll  never 
use  it  again." 

The  engineer  reluctantly  handed  over  the  hammer 
to  the  determined  borrower,  who  immediately  ap- 
plied it  vigorously  to  the  sturdy  doors  of  the  ex- 
press car,  which  had  been  bolted  at  the  first  alarm^ 


is8         JESSE  JAMES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

by  the  messenger,  William  Grimes.  This  plucky 
fellow  made  a  bold  attempt  to  save  the  treasure 
intrusted  to  his  charge,  and  hastily  taking  the 
money  from  the  safe,  crammed  it  into  a  valise,  and 
made  a  break  for  the  rear  door,  but  he  was  too  late; 
the  raiders  had  entered  the  car  and  their  revolvers 
were  leveled  at  his  head. 

"Here,  you,"  demanded  one  of  them,  "give  me  the 
key  of  the  safe, and  be  quick  about  it,  too!" 

"You  will  have  to  take  it  if  you  want  it,"  was 
the  stout-hearted  answer. 

A  savage  blow  from  the  butt  of  a  revolver 
stretched  him  senseless  upon    the  floor. 

In  ten  minutes  the  safe  was  emptied,  the  money 
taken  from  the  bag,  the  valuable  express  packages 
secured,  and  the  robbers  were  on  their  horses,  fly- 
ing from  the  scene,  with  ^^40,000  of  stolen  plunder. 

Before  leaving,  however,  one  of  the  gang  wrote 
a  bravado  message  and  told  Mr.  Bridges  to  send  it 
to  the  Kansas  City  Journal    from  the  next    station. 

The  dispatch  was  dated  from  Blue  Springs,  and 
read  as  follows. 

"We  are  the  boys  who  are  hard  to  handle,  and 
we  will  make  it  hot  for  the  boys  who  will  try  to 
take  us."  and  was  signed  with  the  names  of  Jesse 
James,  Frank  James,  Jack  Bishop,  Jim  Cummings 
and  Cool  Carter. 

For  some  time  there  were  doubts  in  the  minds  of 
many,  that  either  of  the  James  boys  were  impli- 
cated   in  this    robbery.     Attempts  were    made    by 


«//  THIEF  TO  CATCH  ^  THIEF         159 

their  friends  to  prove  that  neither  Jesse  nor  Frank 
were  within  five-hundred  miles  of  the  place  at  the 
time,  but  subsequent  developments  dispelled  any 
doubts  and  established  beyond  any  arguments, 
that  Frank  James  planned  the  raid  and  was  present, 
and  that  Jesse  James  was  the  active  leader. 

Major  James  Liggett,  of  Kansas  City,  began 
active  operations  to  run  the  robbers  to  earth. 
Other  schemes  and  plans  had  failed,  but  the 
Major  concluded  that  he  would  try  again. 

George  Shepherd,  who  had  been  captured  and 
sent  to  penitentiary  for  participating  in  the 
Huntington  bank  robbery,  had  served  his  time 
and  come  out.  Before  long,  he  was  again  at  his 
old  tricks,  and  was  a  member  of  the  James  gang. 

It  seems  that  Shepherd  had  a  grievance  against 
not  only  Jesse  James,  but  Jim  Anderson.  A 
nephew  of  Shepherd's  was  found  murdered  and 
robbed  of  $1,000  and  he  accused  Jesse  and  Jim  of 
"doing  the  job." 

It  was  through  this  Shepherd  that  Major 
Liggett  hoped  to  secure  Jesse  and  Frank  James. 

Getting  hold  of  Shepherd,  he  so  worked  upon  his 
feelings,  that  the  ex-convict  readily  promised  to 
betray  the  boys  into  the  Major's  hand,  but  Shep- 
herd determined  to  take  matters  in  his  own  hands. 

Revenge  was  sweet,  and  he  wished  to  taste  the 
toothsome  article. 

Decoying  Anderson  to  a  lonely  place,  he  accused 
him  of    murdering    his    nephew.     Gaining    a    half 


i6o         JESSE  J^MES  ^ND  HIS  BAND 

admission  from  the  outlaw,  Shepherd  suddenly 
drew  his  bowie  knife  and  cut  the  throat  of  the 
self-convicted  wretch. 

Soon  after,  riding  alone  with  Jesse  James,  the 
latter  unsuspecting  of  any  danger.  Shepherd  sud- 
denly fired  at  him,  and,  as  he  believed,  killed 
him. 

Great  was  the  excitement  v/hen  the  news  came 
that  the  redoubtable  outlaw,  the  famous  bandit, 
was  dead. 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  over  the  demise  of  this 
wonderful  marauder,  this  audacious  train  robber, 
this  blood-stained  murderer.  His  own  mother 
believed — or  claimed  she  did — that  he  was  killed, 
and  the  entire  state  of  Missouri  congratulated 
itself  that  at  last,  her  dread  foe  was  dead — but  he 
wasn't.  The  wound  received  from  Shepherd  was 
not  mortal,  although  so  serious  he  well-nigh  died, 
but  he  lived;  Reserved  for  more  dark  deeds; 
Kept  for  a  longer  career  of  blood  and  crime. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

EMULATING     DICK     TURPIN — THE     CONCORD-CAVE     COACH 
ROBBED — TWO      DASHING       HIGHWAYMEN,      FRANK 

JAMES  AND  JIM  CUMMINGS MOONSHINERS, 

NOT     ROBBERS FRANK     JAMES     AS  AN 

APOLOGIST — GALLANT  STAGE    ROB- 
BERS  A     PROFITABLE 

ADVENTURE 

A  daring  adventure  of  the  Dick  Turpin  order, 
an  episode  of  highwaymanship  which  ranks  with 
the  most  artistic  exploits  of  Paul  Clifford,  was 
the  robbing  of  the  Cave  Coach,  in  September  of 
1880. 

The  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky,  that  wonderful 
catacomb  of  nature,  is  a  favorite  objective  point 
for  the  tourists.  To  reach  it,  the  majority  of  the 
curious  disembarked  at  Cave  City  on  the  L.  &  N. 
R.  R.,  and  taking  the  Concord  coach,  journeyed  to 
the  Cave,  which  is  some  ten  miles  distant.  The 
road  runs  through  a  diversified  country,  threading 
some  dense  patches  of  timber.  On  the  evening  of 
September  6th,  1880,  seven  gentlemen  and  one 
lady  were  passengers  in  the  coach,  which  had 
reached  a  point  midway  between  Cave  City  and 
Mammoth  Cave;  the  party,  entirely  free  from  all 
apprehensions  of  danger,  was  enjoying  the  cool  air 
of  the  September  evening,  and  beguiling  the 
Jesse  James  and  his  Band    li 


i62         JESSE  J^JvwS  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

journey  by  relating  all  the  anecdotes  and  legends 
associated  with  that  romantic  region. 

The  coach  had  fairly  entered  a  dense  timber, 
when  the  security  of  the  tourists  was  rudely  shocked 
by  the  sudden  appearance  of  two  masked  horsemen, 
who  drove  up  before  the  coach  team,  and  with 
leveled  revolvers,  cried: 

"Halt!" 

The  driver,  who  recognized  in  one  of  the  saucy 
strangers,  the  redoubtable  Frank  James,  pulled  in 
his  horses,  and  warned  the  passengers  to  submit 
without  a  struggle  if  they  valued  their  lives. 

The  coach  at  a  stand-still,  one  of  the  horsemen 
rode  alongside,  and,  in  a  pleasant,  affable  tone, 
remarked: 

"Will  you  please  come  out  of  the  stage?" 

Without  delay,  the  men  quitted  their  seats,  and 
stood  before  the  polite  and  urbane  outlaw. 

"Now,  gentlemen,"  continued  the  road  agent, 
still  preserving  his  civil  tone,  "You  will  greatly 
oblige  a  pair  of  persecuted  moonshiners,  who  are 
suffering  because  of  the  unjust  impositions  of  a 
greedy  government,  by  contributing  a  small  por- 
tion of  your  wealth  for  their  benefit." 

Touched  by  this  appeal,  which  was  rendered  all 
the  more  pathetic  by  a  careless  gesture  with  a 
revolver,  the  gentlemen  went  down  in  their 
pockets,  and  made  up  a  very  handsome  purse. 

The  combined  efforts  of  the  generous    passengers 


GALLANT  ST^GE  %OBBERS  163 

amounted  to  ^950  in  cash,  and  about  ^200  worth 
of  jewelry. 

After  this  exhibition  of  charity  Frank  James 
introduced  himself  to  Miss  Roundtree,  the  lady 
passenger,  and  in  the  most  polite  terms,  begged 
her  to  convey  to  a  certain  young  lady  of  Lebanon, 
the  sincere  expressions  of  his  most  grateful  con- 
sideration. 

Then  turning  to  the  amazed  gentlemen,  he  ex- 
plained to  them  that  this  was  no  robbery, 
not  at  all.  It  was  simply  a  justifiable  act  on  their 
part.  They  were  moonshiners,  engaged  in  a  busi- 
ness which  the  harsh  mandates  of  a  discriminating 
government  had  branded  as  illegal.  They  were 
honest,  hard-working  menj  but  so  severe  had  been 
the  persecutions  by  the  minions  of  the  Revenue 
Service,  that  they  had  been  forced  to  adopt  the 
same  business. 

They  were  merely  exacting  revenue,  it  was  a 
tariff  for  revenue  only. 

With  this  explanation,  they  courteously  request- 
ed the  passengers  to  resume  their  places  in  the 
coach,  and  after  a  cordial  farewell,  permitted  the 
tourists  to  proceed. 

Misery  loves  company  and  the  depressed  travelers 
felt  better  when  they  learned  afterwards  that  Mr. 
George  Croghow,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Mam- 
moth Cave,  had  been  held  up  by  the  gentlemanly 
scamps,  and  relieved  of  ^700. 

But    Frank    James    and    Jim    Cummings     rode 


i64         JESSE  J^MES  AND  HIS  BAND 

merrily  away,  free  of  heart  and  full  in  purse,  happy 
in  the  consciousness  that  they  had  performed  their 
duty  in  a  highly  exemplary  manner,  in  a  way 
which  was  entirely  above  reproach;  a  pair  of  jolly 
slashing,  saucy  blades  were  Frank  James  and  Jim 
Cummings. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

AN  ATROCIOUS  CRIME ROBBERY    AND  MURDER ^WILLIAM 

WESTFALL     SHOT     DOWN MC*  MILLAN     SLAUGH- 
TERED   PANIC-STRICKEN  PASSENGERS A 

BRAVE     MESSENGER THE     JAMES 

BROTHERS     BRUTAL 
MURDERERS 

From  September  of  1880,  until  July  of  the  next 
year,  nothing  was  heard  of  the  Jesse  James  brig- 
ands. The  outlaws,  secure  in  their  retreats,  re- 
mained unmolested  and  unheard.  The  excitement 
of  the  Presidential  election,  had  taken  the  atten- 
tion of  the  country,  and  the  temporary  ripple  caused 
by  the  Mammoth  Cave  affair  had  calmed  down. 
Then  came  Guiteau's  pistol  shot,  which  laid  low 
the  beloved  President  of  the  United  States,  Gen. 
James  Garfield,  and  the  entire  Republic  held  its 
breath  in  heart-chilling  horror.  For  days  the 
bulletins  were  watched  with  feverish  anxiety  by 
the  excited  community.  For  days  the  Chief  Execu- 
tive lingered  between  death  and  life. 

Then  came  the  joyful  news  that  he  was  gaining 
strength,  and  comforted  by  the  false  news,  the 
people  breathed  more  freely  when  the  telegraph 
wires  bore  to  all  parts,  of  the  country,  the  tale  of 
another  outrage,  and  the  slumbering  passions  of 
165 


1 66  JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  BAND 

a  great  people  leaped  into  a  flame  when  they 
read  the  lurid  headlines  of  their  daily  papers, 
which  told  that  two  more  innocent  lives  had  been 
sacrificed  to  the  rapacious  greed  of  the  insatiable 
Jesse  James  and  his  villainous  adherents. 

It  was  on  Friday  evening,  July  15th,  1881,  that 
the  long  train  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  road  left  Kansas  City.  There  was  the  usual 
number  of  passengers,  but  the  express  freight,  in 
charge  of  C.  H.  Murray,  the  agent,  was  unusually 
light.  There  was  about  ^2,000  in  money  and  valu- 
ables, and  a  few  silver  bricks. 

William  Westfall,  the  ill-fated  conductor,  was 
in  charge  of  the  train.  Nothing  unusual  occurred 
until  Cameron  was  reached,  where  a  number  of  men 
boarded  the  train,  and  again  at  Winston  another 
consignment  of  rough  fellows  was  taken  aboard. 

They  had  proceeded  scarcely  a  mile  from  Winston 
when  the  bell  cord  was  hastily  jerked,  but  the  fire- 
man suspecting  something  was  wrong  shouted  to 
the  engineer  not  to  stop,  but  to  "give  her  hell." 
Turning  his  head,  the  engineer  was  terrified  to  find 
two  masked  men  with  extended  revolvers,  scram- 
bling down  the  coal  heap  in  the  tender.  With  a 
shout  of  warning  to  his  fireman,  he  threw  the 
throttle  forward,  shutting  off  steam,  and  plunging 
through  the  window  in  front  of  his  seat,  ran  along 
the  foot  boards  amid  a  hail  of  pistol  shots.  With 
his  fireman  he  clung  to  the  pilot  until  the  engine 
slowed  down,  and  then  escaped  to  the  woods. 


WILLMM  WESTFALL  SHOT  TfOWN    167 

In  the  meantime,  murder  was  done  in    the  train. 

Westfall,  the  conductor,  was  collecting  tickets, 
when  a  masked  man,  dressed  in  a  long  linen  duster 
followed  by  other  men  similarly  attired,  entered  the 
car.  Rushing  up  to  the  conductor,  one  of  the  ruffians 
mumbled  something  to  the  effect  that  he  was  the 
man  he  wanted,  and  immediately  leveling  the 
pistol,  shot  the  conductor  through  the  head.  Not 
satisfied,  he  fired  again  and  again  at  the  fallen 
man,  who  was  flooding  the  floor  of  the  car  with  his 
life-blood. 

A  stone-mason,  employed  by  the  railroad  com- 
pany, McMillan  by  name,  entered  the  car  at  the 
same  time  and  was  immediately  shot  dead  by  one 
of  the  masked  murderers.  Then  arose  a  scene  of 
tumult  and  confusion.  The  panic-stricken  passen- 
gers were  beside  themselves  with  fear.  Crawling 
under  the  seats,  slinking  into  the  corners  of  their 
berths,  sinking  to  the  floor,  they  huddled  together 
in  abject  terror, trembling  with  fear. 

But  the  marauders  made  no  attempt  to  rob  the 
passengers,  although  many  of  them,  in  pitiful 
dread  of  their  life,  voluntarily  offered  their  money 
and  watches.  The  robbers  seemed  bent  on  doing 
but  one  thing.     That  is,  terrorizing  the  passengers. 

The  real  work  was  going  on    in  the  baggage  car. 

The  express  messenger  C.  H.  Murray,  and  the 
baggage  man,  Stampe,  were  together  in  the  car, 
the  door  partly  open  for  ventilating  purposes,  a? 
the  night  was  warm, 


i68        JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

The  sudden  stoppage  of  the  train,  brought 
Stampe  to  the  door    to  see  what    was    the    matter. 

He  was  suddenly  grasped  by  four  masked  men, 
who  cried,  in  threatening  tones: 

"Come  out,  you — of  a — !   Come  out." 

The  baggage  man  was  hauled  out  of  the  car,  and 
was  threatened  with  instant  death  if  he  stirred  a 
muscle. 

Murray,  alarmed  by  these  movements,  slammed 
and  locked  the  door,  and  hastily  constructed  a 
barricade  of    trunks,    behind    which    he    crouched. 

Finding  the  door  locked,  the  bandits  began  fire- 
ing  through  it,  one  of  the  bullets  grazing  Murray's 
shoulder.  Enraged  and  furious,  at  being  thus 
balked,  the  robbers  proceeded  to  smash  in  the  door 
with  an  ax  and  finally  bursting  it,  rushed  into  the 
car. 

"Where  is  that  — ?"     yelled  one. 

"Here  I  am."  replied  Murray  rising  from  his 
hiding  place.      "What  do  you  want?" 

In  an  instant  he  was  grasped,  and  flung  to  the 
ground  and  the  key  of  the  safe  demanded.  The  de- 
mand was  emphasized  by  a  blow  from  the  butt  of  a 
pistol. 

Holding  a  revolver  to  his  head,  they  opened  the 
safe,  and  took  all  the  money.  Great  was  their  dis- 
appointment v/hen  they  found  so  small  a  booty. 

Believing  Murray  had  secreted  the  greater  por- 
tion of  it,  they  asked  him  how  much  money  was 
aboard.     Murray  replied  that  he  did  not  know. 


(^  BTiA^E  MESSENGER  169 

"Then  you  ought  to  know."  said  the  leader. 
"What  in  hell  are  you  in  charge  for  if  you  don't 
know?     Come  tell  me  quick,  or  I'll  kill  you." 

"You've  got  everything  but  those  silver  bricks." 
was  the  cool  response. 

"Oh!  d — n  your  bricks. "  was  the  disgusted  re- 
joinder. 

Satisfied  that  they  had  all  there  was,  they  struck 
him  again  with  the  revolver,  and  left  the  car. 

They  had  only  secured  ^2,000,  but  they  had  com- 
mitted a  cruel  and  atrocious  double  murder.  Leav- 
ing the  dead  and  living,  the  plundered  car,  and 
the  terrified  passengers,  the  masked  men  disap- 
peared in  the  woods,  and  rode  away. 

It  did  not  seem  their  policy  to  rob  the  passengers, 
for  not  a  cent  was  taken  from  the  cars.  They 
meant  to  rob  the  express  alone. 

The  killing  of  Westfall  was  a  heinous  crime  of  the 
most  flagrant  character.  He  had  not  said  a  word; 
yet  he  was  shot  down  without  mercy. 

The  presumption  is  that  the  James  brothers  paid 
off  an  old  score  in  killing  him.  He  had  aroused 
their  enmity  somehow,  and  this  was  their  revenge. 
It  was  a  cruel,  brutal,  cowardly  act,  and  aroused  a 
storm  of  indignation  never  before  created. 


CHAPTER    XXXI 

GLENDALE      AGAIN THE       BLUE-CUT      AFFAIR BREAKING 

OPEN  EXPRESS  CARS ARGUMENT  BY  REVOLVERS 

PLUCKY  ACTION     OF     HAZELBAKER,    THE     CON- 
DUCTOR  FLAGGING  A  TRAIN  UNDER  DIF- 
FICULTIES  CHAPPY  FOOTE  TREATED 

BY  JESSE  JAMES A  BOMBAS- 
TIC TIRADE 

Beyond  any  doubt,  the  men  engaged  in  this  last 
raid,  were  Jesse  and  Frank  James,  Pope  Wells,  Jim 
Gummings,  Miller,  Palmer,  and  young  Samuels, 
brother-in-law  to  Jesse.  This  is  the  opinion  of 
Mr.  M.  A.  Lowe  the  attorney  of  the  railroad,  and 
sheriff  Crosby  of  Daviess  County. 

Mr.  William  Pinkerton  stated  that  the  robbery 
and  murder  was  undoubtedly  the  woik  of  the  James 
gang,  and  the  testimony  of  the  passengers  aboard 
the  ill-fated  train  all  tend  to  this  conclusion. 

Again  came  up  the  much-discussed  question 
"Cannot  something  be  done  to  rid  Missou*-^  of  this 
lawless  band  of  robbers  and  murderers?" 

Again  and  again  were  bountiful  rewards  offered 
for  the  apprehension,  conviction,  detection,  or 
death  of  the  bandits.  Again  were  strong  parties 
organized  for  pursuit,  and  again  did  it  all  end  in 
nothing.  For  several  months  this  agitation  was 
continued  and  while  the  interest  was  still  una- 
bated, while  the  police  were  still  making  strenuous 
'    170 


^%GUMENr  BY  %EyOLyERS  171 

efforts  to  do  something,  another  train  was  held  up 
by  the  same  band  of  train  robbers. 

Again  was  the  Chicago  &  Alton  R.  R.  the 
victim  and  the  robbery  occurred  near  Glendale, 
where  two  years  previous,  Jesse  James  had  taken 
^40,000  from  the  passengers  and    express  company. 

It  was  September  7th,  1881,  about  9  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  when  the  train  was  brought  to  a  stand 
still  in  a  deep  cut  where  the  Missouri  Pacific 
crosses  the  Alton  tracks.  The  sudden  stop  was 
caused  by  a  huge  pile  of  broken  stone,  which  was 
across  the  track.  Immediately  a  dozen  masked 
men  dashed  into  the  cars,  while  the  leader,  ap- 
proaching the  engine,  said  to  Foote,  the  engineer: 

"Step  down  out  of  that  engine  and  do  as  I  tell 
you,  or  ril  kill  you!  " 

Foote,  after  some  parleying,  did  so,  and  at  the 
same  time  brought  down  the  coal  pick  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  armed  outlaw. 

With  his  fireman,  he  was  marched  to  the  express 
car,  and  ordered  to  break  the  door  down.  This  he 
did. 

Fox  the  express  messenger,  anticipating  trouble, 
had  secreted  himself  in  the  grass  near  the  track, 
and  only  came  out  when  the  leader  threatened  to 
kill  the  engineer  and  fireman  unless  the  messenger 
showed  up. 

With  menacing  revolvers  they  compelled  Fox  to 
open  the  safe,  giving  him  several,  raps  on  the  head 
with  the  butts  of  their  revolvers  to  accelerate    his 


172         fESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "BAND 

movements.  Cramming  the  money — some  ;S>2,5oo 
into  a  leather  bag  they  carried,  they  left  a  guard 
over  the  engineer,  fireman  and  messenger  and  went 
back  into  the  train. 

While  these  exciting  events  were  taking  place 
around  the  engine  and  baggage  car,  others  of  the  gang 
were  passing  and  repassing  through  the  passenger 
coaches,  firing  their  revolvers  into  the  roof  of  the 
car,  swaggering  and  bullying,  declaring  with  deep 
oaths  and  obscene  remarks,  that  they  were  going 
to  hold  up  every  passenger  on  the  train.  The  con- 
ductor, Mr.  Hazelbaker,  and  the  brakeman,  Mr. 
Burton,  comprehending  the  condition  of  affairs  at 
the  first  alarm,  begged  the  passengers  to  be  sub- 
missive, and  warned  them  that  resistance  to  the 
robbers  meant  death.  This  duty  done,  the  two 
brave  men  made  instant  preparations  to  flag  a 
freight  train  following  them.  In  doing  this,  they 
performed  as  courageous  an  act  as  was  ever  record- 
ed, for,  as  with  a  red  lantern  in  hand,  the  two 
heroic  train  men  leaped  from  the  rear  platform, 
they  were  greeted  with  a  volley  of  bullets,  and  the 
robbers  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  as  long  as  they 
were  in  range. 

The  danger  of  telescoping  over,  for  Burton  re- 
mained with  the  red  lantern  to  flag  the  train, 
Hazelbaker  returned  to  his  charge,  and  seating 
himself  waited  quietly  to    be  robbed. 

The  leader  of    the    band,    a    tall,  athletic    man, 


A  "BOmBzASTIC  TIRADE  173 

shoved  his  revolver  under  the  conductor's  nose  and 
said: 

"D — n  you;  that  is  the  pistol  that  killed  West- 
fall  at  Winston.  You  tell  your  G — d  d — d  com- 
pany that  Jesse  James  told  you  so." 

In  due  time  the  robbers  went  through  the  train, 
robbing  every  passenger,  securing  in  all,  with  the 
express  money,  about  ^15,000. 

Their  work  finished  the  robbers  suddenly  disap- 
peared, and  were  quickly  lost  to  sight  in  the  dense 
shadow  of  the  night. 

Before  leaving  however,  the  leader  of  the  gang 
came  to  Foote,  the  engineer,  and  said: 

"Chappy  Foote,  you'r  a  d — d  fine  fellow  to  run 
on  the  road.  Here's  $2.  Get  a  drink  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  drink  it  for  Jesse  James.  You  want  to 
get  off  the  road  though,  or  you'll  get  killed.  We 
are  going  to  bust  this  road  and  the  Rock  Island 
too,  d — n  them..  They  are  offering  too  many 
rewards.  We've  no  grudge  against  Pullman.  He's 
white,  and  don't  offer  any  rewards.  We'll  switch 
off  the  Pullmans  and  burn  the  rest.  I  am  the  man 
who  killed  Westfall  at  Winston.  He  was  too 
fresh  and  drew  a  gun. " 

This  tirade  was  unlike  Jesse  James.  He  was 
not  given  to  brag  but  rather  the  other  thing,  yet, 
Jesse  James  led  that  raid. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE     TURNING     POINT     REACHED GOV.    CRITTENDEN    AT 

WORK ^50,000     IN  REWARDS SHERIFF     JOHN 

R.      TIMBERLAKE COM.      H.      H.      CRAIG A 

MYSTERIOUS     WOMAN DICK    LITTLE 

SURRENDERS JESSE  JAMES  IN 

ST.    JOSEPH A     SNAKE     IN 

THE  GRASS PLOT  AND 

COUNTER-PLOT 

The  Blue  Cut  robbery,  as  narrated  in  the  last 
chapter,  marked  the  turning  point  of  the  long  lane 
of  Jesse  James'  career.  Gov.  Crittenden,  of  Missouri, 
had  taken  hold  of  the  outlaw  matter,  and  was 
pushing  it  with  great  energy.  He  had  resolved, 
fair  means  or  foul,  to  sweep  this  murderous  gang 
of  cut-throats  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  bent 
his  energies  to  the  work  in  a  way  which  was  bound 
to  win. 

Gathering  together  the  proper  officials  of  the 
various  railroads  and  express  companies  that  had 
suffered  by  the  hands  of  Jesse  James,  and  his  asso- 
ciate desperadoes,  he  put  the  case  to  them  squarely 
and  explicitly.  He  told  them  he  wanted  to  offer 
a  reward  of  ^50,000  for  Jesse  and  Frank  James, 
dead  or  alive.  He  said  that  he  felt  warranted  in 
offering  such  an  immense  pecuniary  inducement. 

174 


DEATH  OF  JESSE  JAMES. 


176         JESSE  JAMES  ^ND  HIS  'B.AND 

The  railroads  and  express  companies  gladly  and 
willingly  pledged  their  financial  support,  and  the 
rewards  were  offered  ^10,000  for  either  Frank  or 
Jesse  James  dead  or  alive,  and  ^5,000  for  each 
member  of  their  gang,  dead  or  alive. 

With  this  mighty  lever  .in  his  hand,  the  Governor 
set  to  work  to  move  the  proper  machinery  by 
which  he  hoped  to  accomplish  his  object. 

He  felt  that  the  honor  among  thieves  was  a 
quality /of  honor  which  would  not  stand  against 
the  pressure  of  ten  thousand  tempting  dollars. 

He  knew  that  the  natural  cupidity  of  such  men 
as  composed  the  James  gang  would  be  excited  by  the 
princely  rewards,  and  that  sooner  or  later,  he 
would  have  the  pleasure  of  drawing  a  check  for 
^10,000  in  exchange  for  the  live  or  dead  body  of 
one  or  both  the  notorious  outlaws. 

But  the  two  men,  most  active  and  more  directly 
responsible  for  the  complete  annihilation  of  the 
Jesse  James  band  were  Sheriff  John  R.  Timberlake 
of  Clay  County,  and  H.  H.  Craig,  Police  Commis- 
sioner of  Kansas  City. 

On  the  1 6th,  of  February  1882,  a  veiled  woman 
called  on  Gov.  Crittenden,  at  his  office  in  Jefferson 
City,  and  inquired  upon  what  terms  an  outlaw 
could  surrender  to  the  authorities.  The  Governor 
replied  that.it  was  altogether  a  matter  of  the  man, 
who  he  was.  H  it  was  Jesse  or  Frank  James  he 
would  promise  no  immunity  from  punishment,  but 
if  any  other  minor  member  of    the    gang    came  in, 


T>ICK  LITTLE  SURRENDERS  177 

with  the  honest  intention  of  abandoning  his 
former  life,  and  having  a  sincere  desire  to  live  a 
better  life,  he  would  be  assured  of  protection, 
especially  so,  continued  the  crafty  executive,  if  he 
would  promise  to  faithfully  assist  the  officers  of 
the  law  in  capturing  the  James  brothers 

After  their  interview,  the  mysterious  woman 
left,  and  three  days  later,  Dick  Little,  a  trusted 
member  of  Jesse  James'  company,  surrendered  to 
Sheriff  Timberlake.     This  was    on   February  igth. 

On  the  22d,  he  was  conveyed  to  Jefferson  City, 
where  he  made  a  volumnious  confession. 

This  was  not  the  beginning  of  the  plot,  however, 
which  was  to  end  the  career  of  Jesse  James. 

The  outlaw  had  moved  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
the  preceding  November,  where  he  lived  quietly 
under  the  name  of  Thomas  Howard,  with  his  wife 
and  two  children.  With  him  came  a  young  man 
known  as  Robert  Johnson,  but  whose  name  was 
really  Robert  Ford. 

He  was  a  cousin  of  Jesse,  and  possessed  his< 
entire  confidence.  But  the  cousin  was  a  false 
friend.  He  was  a  traitor  in  the  camp,  a  veritable 
serpent  in  the  grass,  waiting  but  for  a  favorable 
opportunity  to  strike,  treacherous,  despicable  and 
false  hearted,  this  Robert  Ford  was  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  detective  employed  by  the  authorities 
to  capture  or  kill  Jesse  James,  the  man  who  took 
him  to  his  home    and  fireside,  sheltered  him,  and 

/esse  James  and  his  Band    12 


178         JESSE  JAMES  zAND  HIS  "BAND 

clothed  him.  This  Ford  was  employed  by  Gov. 
Crittenden,  Sheriff  Timberlake  and  Mr.  Craig.  He 
was  joined  by  his  brother  Charlie,  Sunday,  March 
26th.  The  latter,  who  was  also  in  the  plot  against 
Jesse  James,  was  invited  by  the  outlaw  to  visit 
him  for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  a  plan  to  rob  the 
bank  at  Platte  City.  Funds  were  getting  low,  and 
it  was  proposed  to  draw  upon  the  exchequer  of  the 
Platte  City  Bank. 

The  Burgess  murder  trial  was  fixed  for  April 
4th,  and  was  to  be  held  in  Platte  City.  Jesse 
James  was  to  first  make  a  careful  examination  of 
the  premises,  and  then  when  the  attention  of  the 
town  was  taken  up  by  the  trial,  to  make  a  bold 
dash,  and  rob  the  bank. 

The  Ford  boys  approved  of  the  scheme,  and 
entered  enthusiastically  into  the  affair. 

The  preparations  completed,  the  outlaw  remained 
at  home  waiting  for  the  appointed  day,  little 
dreaming  that  he  would  never  again  mount  his  horse 
and  dash  into  a  terror  stricken  town  as  of  yore. 
His  days  were  numbered  upon  the  fingers  of  his 
hand,  but  unconscious  of  the  fate  which  was  to  over- 
whelm him  in  so  short  a  time,  the  confident  bank 
robber  spent  his  last  days  on  earth  scheming  and 
planning  new  raids,  concocting  new  deviltries  and 
devising  means  for  acquiring  fresh  plunder. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

JESSE  JAMES   SHOT  BY    ROBERT    FORD — THE  FAMOUS  BAN- 
DIT DIES KILLED     BY    TREACHERY TREMENDOUS 

EXCITEMENT THE   FORD  BROTHERS  IN  JAIL 

ROBERT     ford's     STORY ^JOHN     WICHER 

AVENGED    AT    LAST MRS.     SAMUELS 

AND  HER  DEAD  SON ^THE  GRIEF- 
STRICKEN    WIFE— -A 
PITIFUL  INTER- 
VIEW 

Monday  April  3rd,  1882,  was  an  eventful  day  for 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.  A  shot 'was  fired  that  morning, 
between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  by  a  smooth- 
faced boy  of^  twenty  years,  which  did  more  than  all 
the  Pinkertons,  United  States  Service,  Missouri 
detectives,  sheriffs,  marshals  and  constables  had 
been  able  to  do  in  ten  years;  a  mere  lad,  not  old 
enough  to  vote,  had  dared  do  a  deed  which  would 
have  caused  many  a  stout  heart  to  turn  coward,  and 
make  many  a  brave  man  tremble  to  even  dream  of. 

This  Monday  morning,  April  3rd,  1882,  a  bullet 
was  sped  which  forever  stilled  the  heart  of  the 
most  famous  outlaw  the  world  has  ever  seen — Jesse 
James! 

Jesse  James  was  shot  by  Robert  Ford,  and  died 
almost  immediately. 

For  months,  the  Ford  boys  had  watched  for  a 
179 


i8o        JESSE  JAMES  ^CM^D  HIS  "BAND 

favorable  opportunity  to  kill  the  intrepid  bandit. 
On  this  morning  after  breakfast,  Jesse  and  Charlie 
Ford  went  to  the  stable  to  curry  the  horses,  and 
get  everything  ready  for  the  Platte  City  bank  raid. 
The  day  was  unusually  warm,  and  they  returned  to 
the  house,  Jesse  remarking:  "It's  an  awfully  hot 
day,"  pulled  off  his  coat  and  vest,  and  tossed  them 
on  the  bed. 

Robert  Ford  was  in  the  room  at  the  time,  and  a 
significant  glance  passed  between  himself  and  his 
brother,  when  Jesse  unbuckled   his   belt,  and  said: 

"I  guess  rU  take  off  my  pistols  for  fear  some- 
body will  see  them  if  T  walk  in  the  yard." 

So  saying,  he  placed  the  belt,  in  which  he  car- 
ried two  revolvers — 45  calibre,  one  Smith  & 
Wesson  and  the  other,  a  Colt,  upon  the  bed  with 
his  coat  and  vest. 

He  then  picked  up  a  dusting  brush,  and  stepping 
on  a  chair,  commenced  dusting  a  picture. 

His  back  was  turned  to  the  brothers,  his  pistols 
were  out  of  reach,  they  were  alone  in  the  room, 
and  the  time  had  come. 

Silently,  the  Ford  boys  stepped  in  betweeiSi 
Jesse  and  the  bed,  and,  at  a  motion  from  Charlie, 
both  drew  their  guns;  Robert,  quick  as  a  flash, 
raised  his  weapon,  and  glanced  along  the  barrel;  as 
he  did  so,  Jesse  made  a  movement  as  if  to  turn 
his  head,  but  there  was  a  nervous  pressure  on  the 
trigger,  a  sharp  report,  and  the  45  calibre  lead  ball 
crashed  its  deadly  way  through  Jesse  James'  head; 


THE  FAMOUS  "BANDIT  "DIES  i8i 

entering  at  the  base  of  the  brain  and   crashing  out 
through  the  forehead. 

Not  a  word  was  said,  not  a  sound  but  the  report 
of  Robert  Ford's  pistol;  there  was  a  tottering, 
swaying  of  the  athletic  figure  on  the  chair,  a  sud- 
den relaxing  of  muscles,  a  quiver,  and  then  the 
king  of  the  outlaws  fell  heavily  to  the  floor,  and 
gasped  out  his  life  with  the  crimson  blood 
streaming  from  the  awful  wound  in   his    forehead. 

Mrs.  James  was  in  the  kitchen  at  the  time,  but 
hearing  the  shot,  rushed  into  the  fatal  room.  On 
the  floor,  she  saw  the  body  of  her  husband,  and 
running  to  the  rear  fence  were  his  murderers, 
pistols  in  hand. 

"Robert,"  she  screamed,  "You  have  done  this! 
Come  back!" 

"I  swear  to  God  I  did  not."  was  the  reply. 

Dropping  on  her  knees,  she  raised  her  husband's 
head  in  her  arms.  He  was  still  breathing,  and 
when  she  asked  him  if  he  was  hurt,  he  endeavored 
to  speak,  but  could  not.  It  did  not  last  long.  A 
few  more  gasps,  a  last  sigh,  and  Jesse  James  died 
in  his  wife's  arms. 

Charlie  Ford  explained  to  Mrs.  James,  that  a 
pistol  had  gone  off  accidentally. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  James.  "I  guess  it  went  off  on 
purpose."  She  was  wonderfully  calm,  was  this 
slender,  fair  woman.  But  for  years  she  had  lived 
in  daily  expectancy  of  just  such  a  scene,  and  had 
schooled  herself  to  bear  it  stoically  when  it   came. 


i82         JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND 

Anxious  to  get  away  from  the  home  to  which 
they  had  brought  such  dire  desolation,  the  two 
boys  left  the  house,  and  telegraphed  the  news  to 
Gov.  Crittenden  and  Sheriff  Timberlake,  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Marshall  Craig's  office  to  give  themselves 
in  custody.  They  were  told  that  the  marshall 
with  a  posse  of  officers  had  already  started  to 
the  Harwood  house,  as  news  of  the  tragedy  had 
reached  him. 

Even' Craig,  although  he  knew  the  Ford  boys 
were  after  Jesse  James,  never  suspected  that  How- 
ard and  James  were  the  same  person.  Hurrying 
back,  the  Ford  brothers  gave  themselves  up  to 
Craig,  telling  him  that  the  man  they  had  killed 
was  Jesse  James,  and  they  claimed  the  reward. 

When  Marshall  Craig  heard  that  the  dead  man 
was  Jesse  James,  he  exclaimed: 

"My  God!  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  this  is  Jesse 
James?" 

"Yes,  that  is  Jesse  Jmaes. "  was  the  proud  re- 
sponse. "We  have  killed  him  and  we  don't  deny 
it.  We  feel  proud  that  we  have  killed  a  man  who 
is  known  all  over  the  world  as  the  most  notorious 
desperado  that  ever  lived." 

They  were  then  taken  back  to  the  police  station, 
and  securely  guarded. 

Sheriff  Timberlake  had  telegraphed  t@  the  F©rd 
brothers  to  stay  where  they  were,  and  he  would 
eome  at  once. 

The  news  spread  like  wild-fire,  and  St.    Joseph 


THE  FORD  BROTHERS  IN  MIL         183 

ftever  witnessed  such  intense  excitement.  The 
streets  were  thronged  with  a  crowd  of  agitated 
citizens,  who  could  scarcely  comprehend  the  fact 
that  Jesse  James,  the  terrible,  murderous  outlaw, 
who  had  kept  Missouri  in  a  state  of  terror  for  years, 
had  lived  for  months  among  them,  and  was  now 
lying  dead  in  his  home.  The  body  had  been  re- 
moved to  the  morgue,  and  the  place  was  beseiged 
by  hundreds  of  curious  people,  anxious  to  see  the 
rerriains  of  the  terrible  man  of  whom  they  had 
heard  so  much.  But  they  were  obliged  to  curb 
their  morbid  curiosity  for  a  time,  as  Coroner 
Heddens  refused  admittance  to  any  except  repre- 
sentatives of  the  press,  and  the  proper  officials. 

The  coroner's  jury  was  impaneled,  and  after 
viewing  the  remains,  adjourned  to  the  old  circuit 
court  rooms,  where  the  inquest  was  to  be  held. 

The  jury  consisted  of  W.  H.  Chooning,  J.  W. 
Moore,  Warren  Samuels,  Thomas  Morris,  William 
Turner  and  William  George.  The  chief  witnesses 
were  Mrs.  James,  Charles  and  Robert  Ford  and 
James  Little,  who  had  been  brought  from  Jefferson 
City    for  that  purpose. 

Many  people  refused  to  believe  that  the  dead  man 
was  Jesse  James.  Some  sneered  and  with  the  cyni- 
cism of  deferred  hope,  expressed  the  opinion  that 
Jesse  James  was  as  much  alive  now  as  he  ever  was. 
When  Robert  Ford  was  told  that  many  people  be- 
lieved that  Jesse  James  was  still  living,  he  became 
indignant. 


i84         JESSE  JzAMES  <^ND  HIS  BAND 

"So  they  say  the  dead  man  is  some  one  else,  do 
they?  Then  they  are  mistaken.  I  met  Jesse  James 
three  years  ago,  and  I  am  not  mistaken  now.  He 
moved  here  to  St.  Joseph  last  November,  and  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Thomas  Howard.  He  rented  a 
house  on  the  corner  of  Lafayette  street  and  Twenty- 
first,  and  after  staying  there  two  months,  secured 
the  house  No.  1318  Lafayette  street,  and  paid  ^14.00 
a  month  rent.  My  brother,  Charlie,  and  I  know 
nearly  all  his  gang,  but  have  never  worked  with 
them. 

I  was  in  with  the  detectives,  and  was  with  the 
party  that  arrested  Clarance  Hite,  in  Kenutcky, 
last  February.  He  got  twenty-five  years  in  the 
penitentiary. 

Jesse  James  never  suspected  either  Charlie  or 
myself,  and  as  his  gang  was  all  busted  up,  he 
wanted  to  make  us  members.  He  went  to  Kearney, 
to  see  his  mother  two  weeks  ago,  and  when  he  came 
back,  we  told  him  we  wanted  to  join  his  band,  and 
he  said  "All  right."  Charlie  came  here  a  week  ago 
Sunday  and  I  followed  last  Sunday  night,  and  we 
put  up  at  his  house. 

We  have  been  watching  for  a  chance  to  do  him 
up  for  months,  but  he  was  always  on  the  lookout, 
and  we  knew  that  if  we  failed,  it  was  all  up  with 
us.  He  kept  close  to  the  house  during  the  day- 
time, but  in  the  evening,  he  would  go  down  town 
and  get  his  papers;  the  Chicago  Tribune,  Cincinnati 
Commercial,    and  Kansas    City    Times,    regularly. 


JOHN  IVICHER  <^yENGED  A7  LAST    185 

He  kept  himself  posted  on  what  was  going  on  all 
over  the  world. 

Gov.  Crittenden  had  offered  a  reward  for  Jesse 
James,  dead  or  alive,  and  we  were  after  that 
reward.  But  we  could  get  no  chance  until  this 
morning.  He  was  in  the  front  room  where  he  slept 
and  did  the  most  careless  thing  of  his  life.  He 
took  off  his  coat  and  vest  and  laid  his  pistols  on 
the  bed,  then  stepped  on  a  chair  to  dust  a  picture. 
As  he  did  so,  we  got  between  him  and  his  guns 
and  drew  on  him.  I  was  eight  feet  away,  and 
when  he  heard  my  pistol  cock,  he  turned  like  light- 
ning, but    I  pulled,  and  he  fell  at    Charlie's    feet. 

Not  one  of  us  spoke  a  word.  We  got  our  hats 
and  went  to  the  telegraph  office,  and  telegraphed 
what  we  had  done  to  Gov.  Crittenden,  Captain 
Craig  of  Kansas  City,  and  Sheriff  Timberlake  of 
Clay  County.  The  sheriff  replied:  "I  will  come 
at  once.     Stay  there  until  I  come." 

"That  is  Jesse  James,  and  we  killed  him." 

The  newspapers,  the  next  day,  published  the 
most  sensational  reports  of  the  murder,  for  murder 
it  was,  -although  it  vindicated  the  law. 

The  startling  news  was  received  with  considerable 
joy  by  the  Pinkerton's  in  Chicago,  and  William 
Pinkerton  especially  was  well    pleased,  remarking: 

"Good!     Then  John  Wicher  is  avenged   at  last." 

Hundreds  of  people  flocked  into  St.  Joseph,  that 
wanted  to  get  a  vision  of  the    dead    man,  and    the 


t86         JESSE  JAMES  A^D  HIS  BA^D 

town  was  in    a    great    commotion    until     after  the 
funeral. 

The  sentiments  regarding  the  act,  were  as  varied 
as  the  people  who  expressed  them.  Some  thought 
the  ktlling  a  contemptible,  despicable  assassina- 
tion, not  recognizing  the  great  truth  that  "the  end 
justified  the  means," 

Others,  while  they  regarded  the  killing  as  a 
justifiable  and  legal  man-slaughter,  by  which  the 
majesty  of  the  law  was  upheld,  were  inclined  to 
cast  approbrium  upon  the  underhand  method  em- 
ployed, while  there  were  others  who  lauded  the 
Ford  brothers  to  the  skies,  making  heroes  of  them, 
and  praising  their  bravey  in  thus  killing  such  a 
well-known  desperado.** 

Mrs.  Samuels,  who  received  the  news  by  tele- 
graph from  Mrs.  James,  bore  the  shock  with  the 
stoicism  characteristic  of  the  stern-visaged  woman. 

She  shed  no  tears,  nor  indulged  in  any  outward 
demonstations  of  sorrow,  but  a  baneful  gleam  shot 
from  her  hard  eyes,  when  she  read  that  Bob  Ford 
had  killed  her  son,  and  Dick  Little  had  placed  a 
criminating  and  detailed  confession  in  the  hands 
of  the  authorities.  Hastening  to  St.  Joseph,  she 
sought  her  widowed  daught@r-in-law,  and  the  meet- 
ing was  pathetic  in  the  extreme.  Even  then  Mrs. 
James  and  Mrs.  Samuels  retained  their  unnatural 
composure,  but,  when  they  were  permitted  to  see 
the  body  of  the  dead  son  and  husband,  their    calm- 


G%IEF-STRICKEN  WOMEN  187 

ness  forsook  them,  and  they    clung    to    each   other 
with  the  strong  embrace  of  sorrow  and  grief. 

Mrs.  Samuels    nearly  swooned  when  she  first  saw 
her  dead  son's  face,  and  sobbed  aloud. 

"My  poor  boy !  My  dear  son !  My  darling  boy !" 
Alone  before  their  dead,  the  stricken  women 
moaned  in  the  agony  of  their  dreadful  loss,  and 
gave  way  to  unrestrained  sobs  of  acute  anguish. 
From  the  undertaker's  establishment,  they  were 
driven  to  the  court  rooms  to  give  their  testimony 
at  the  inquest. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

THE  INQUEST — THE    CROWDED    COURT-ROOM ^TESTIMONY 

OF     OFFICIALS DICK     LITTLE     BEFORE    THE    JURY 

"would     TO     GOD     IT   WERE     NOT" THE     FORD 

boys  charged  with  murder "traitor ! 

traitor!  traitor!  " — the  funeral 

of  jesse  james comments  of 

the  press 

The  great  interest  created  by  the  assassination  of 
Jesse  James  was  manifested  by  the  throng  that 
packed  the  court  room  to  suffocation.  Hundreds  of 
other  disappointed  persons,  unable  to  obtain  admis- 
sion, filled  the  hall  and  entrances,  and  crowded 
outside  the  building,  discussing    the    tragic  event. 

H.  H.  Craig,  Police  Commissioner  of  Kansas 
City,  was  the  first  witness  sworn. 

He  testified  that  the  body  corresponded  with  the 
description  of  Jesse  James,  and  gave  a  detailed 
description.  He  was  acquainted  with  both  the 
Ford  boys,  and  stated  that  Bob  Ford  assisted 
Sheriff  Timberlake  and  himself.  He  was  not  for- 
mally commissioned,  however.  Robert  Ford  acted 
through  his  instructions,  but  Charles  Ford  did  not. 

Sheriff  Timberlake,  the  next  witness,  said  that 
he  was  acquainted  with  Jesse  James,  and  recognized 
the  body.     They  were    personally   acquainted   with 

i88 


TESriMONY  OF  OFFICIALS  189 

each  other.  He  stated  that  he  saw  Jesse  James  in 
1870,  and  knew  his  face.  He  told  Robert  Ford, 
who  was  employed  to  assist  him,  to  get  his  brother 
Charles  as  a  helper. 

Dick  Little  was  then  sworn.  He  recognized  the 
body  and  swore  it  was  that  of  Jesse  James.  He  was 
sure  of  it.  In  general  appearance  the  body  resem- 
bled Jesse  James.  The  outlaw  had  a  finger  off  his 
hand;  so  did  the  corpse.  He  recognized  the  scars 
in  the  thigh  and  side,  and  identified  the  body  as 
that  of  Jesse  Jame 

Jame^  Finley,  the  next  witness,  testified  as 
follows 

"I  am  not  acquainted  with  Jesse  James.  I  went 
to  the  house  after  the  shooting,  and  found  two 
horses.  I  sent  two  officers  after  the  Johnsons,  as 
they  were  then  called.  Ford  came  and  acknowl- 
edged the  shooting.  He  described  the  wounds  on 
the  body  and  claimed  the  man  was  Jesse  James. 
Ford  told  me  there  were  watches  and  jewelry  in  the 
house.  I  found  watches,  jewelry,  pistols,  cart- 
ridges and  a  purse.  I  gave  the  purse  to  Mrs.  James. 
It  had  some  small  change  in  it.  A  scarf  pin  was 
found  with  the  marks  'J.  W.  J.'" 

When  Mrs.  Samuels,  the  mother  of  Jesse  James, 
was  called,  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  her.  Men 
stood  in  their  seats,  and  crowded  forward  in  their 
anxiety  to  catch  a  view  of  the  now  famous  old 
woman.  She  walked  slowly  and  with  bowed  head, 
to  the  witness  stand.     Although  her  face  was  stern^ 


igo        JESSE  JAMES  <^^D  HIS  "B^^D 

it  had  a  kindly  look,  and  her  bright  eyes  and  prom- 
inent nose  gave  a  note-worthy  appearance  to  her 
visage.  She  was  simply  and  quietly  dressed  in 
black. 

She  testified  that  she  was  the  mother  of  Jesse 
James  and  that  she  had  seen  his  body  but  a  moment 
ago. 

"Is  that  the  body  of  your  son?"  inquired  the 
coroner. 

"It  is."  was  the  answer;  and  then  followed  sobs. 
"Would  to  God  it  were  not.  And  these  are  his  or- 
phan children,"  she  continued,  placing  her  hands 
on  the  heads  of  the  son  and  daughter  of  the 
dead  desperado.  Again  the  old  lady  was  moved 
to  tears. 

Requesting  Mrs.  James  to  raise  her  veil,  the 
coroner  asked  Mrs.  Samuels  if  she  recognized 
her.  - 

"Yes,  she  is  the  widow  of  Jesse  James." 

Mrs.  James  testified  that  she  recognized  the 
preceding  witness  as  Mrs.  Samuels  and  then  the 
bereaved  mother  left  the  court-room. 

The  jury  retired,  and,  in  a  short  time,  brought  in 
the  following  verdict: 

"We,  the  jury,  find  that  the  deceased  is  Jesse 
James,  and  that  he  came  to  his  death  by  a  pistol 
shot  in  the  hands  of  Robert  Ford." 

Immediately  afterward'S,  the  Ford  boys  were 
committed  to  jail,  charged  with  the  murder  of  Jesse 
James,  on  a  warrant  sworn  out  by  his  widow. 


TRAITO%!  TRAITOR!  TRAITOR!        191 

As  she  was  returning  from  the  court-room,  Mrs. 
Samuels  met  Dick  Little,  and  a  highly  dramatic 
scene  was  enacted.  With  her  eyes  flashing  passion, 
and  her  frame  quivering  with  excitement,  she 
sprang  toward  the  traitor  with  the  ferocity  of  a 
tiger. 

"Traitor!  Traitor!  Traitor!"  she  exclaimed,  her 
voice  vibrating  with  anger.  "God  will  send  his 
vengeance  on  you  for  this.  Oh,  you  villain!  I 
would  rather  be  in  my  boy's  place  than    in   yours." 

The  outlavv^  shrunk  from  the  female  fury,  in 
abject  fear. 

"I  did  not  hunt  him,"  he  pleaded.  "I  thought 
you  knew  who  killed  him?" 

"Oh  !  God !  My  poor  boy"  was  the  piteous  ejecu- 
lation  of  the  gray-haired  woman,  as  she  turned 
away. 

That  night,  the  wife,  mother  and  sister  slept  in 
the  cottage  where  Jesse  James  had  been  killed, 
and  the  next  day,  the  body  was  taken  to  Kearney, 
for  burial. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Kansas 
City  Times  of  Apjril  6th,   1882. 

St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  April  5. — Craig  and  Timber- 
lake,  the  men  who  engineered  Jesse's  capture,  have 
been  delayed  and  obstructed  all  day  by  the  St. 
Joseph  officials,  through  jealousy.  The  special 
train  has  been  waiting  since  10  a.  m.,  to  take  the 
body,  but  the  city  marshal  would  not  give  it  up. 
The  body  was  secured  at  6  p.  m.,  and  taken  quietly 


192  JESSE  JAMES  zAND  HIS  "BAND 

to  the  depot,  where    the    sheriff's    party    next    pre-" 
pared  it  to  go  out  on  the  regular  train  to  Cameron.' 

From  there  they  go  by  a  special  to  Kearney;. 
Jesse's  widow,  children  and  mother  accompany  the 
remains.  They  are  very  nervous.  The  body  is  in' 
a  $500  coffin  furnished  by  Craig  and  Timberlake.i 
The  funeral  takes  place  to-morrow. 

Cameron,  Mo.,  April  5. — Although  kept  very' 
quiet,  a  perfect  mob  was  at  the  depot  in  St. 
Joseph,  to  see  the  party  off.  The  Times  correspon- 
dent's instructions  from  Timberlake,  were:  "Meet 
us  at  the   depot;    I'll    be    there    with  the  corpse." 

Just  as  the  train  pulled  into  the  depot,  two  car- 
riages and  a  wagon  with  the  coffin  came  up.  Mrs. 
Samuels  stepped  out  of  the  first  carriage,  and  lean- 
ing on  an  officer's  arm,  walked  into  the  depot,  fol«. 
lowed  by  a  gaping  crowd.  Mrs.  Samuels  said  as 
she  left  the  carriage:  "Take  me  to  the  corpse;  I 
want  to  see  it  on  board."  The  carriage  with  Mrs." 
James  drove  back  to  the  hotel,  and  the  old  lady 
went  to  the  baggage-car  and  saw  the  body  on  the 
train.  Timberlake  and  his  party  sat  in  the  bag- 
gage-car to  guard  the  body.  Mrs.  Samuels  entered 
her  car  and  guards  were  placed  at  the  doors.  The 
train  was  held  for  Mrs.  James  to  come.  She  drove 
up  to  the  depot  at  a  rapid  pace,  and,  alighting,  was 
escorted  to  her  seat.  The  crowd  was  thicker  than 
ever  when  the  train  left.  Mrs.  James  was  accom- 
panied by  Luther  James,  a  cousin  of  Jesse's,  from 
Kansas  City,  her  two   children   and    Mrs.   Samuels. 


FUNERAL  OF  JESSE  J^UES  193 

The  train  was  heavily  guarded.  While  in  the 
depot  at  St.  Joseph,  a  short,  thick-set  man  tried  to 
pull  a  pistol  on  Mrs.  Samuels,  but  was  promptly- 
fired  out  of  the  door  and  landed  in  the  street.  He 
was  shot  at,  but  not  hit. 

At  all  the  stations  along  the  road,  crowds  gath- 
ered, anxious  to  see  the  body,  the  family,  the  officers, 
or  anything,  and  great  excitement  prevailed.  We 
arrived  at  Cameron  at  9: 11.  p.  m.,  and  were  met  by 
an  immense  crowd.  The  ladies  were  taken  to  a 
private  room  at  the  depot  while  waiting  for  the 
special  train,  and  the  body  was  taken  from  the 
baggage  car,  followed  by  a  mob,  who  stood  around 
the  windows,  eager  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  pine 
box  that  covered  the  coffin.  Mrs.  Samuels  and 
Mrs.  James  are  very  much  worn  out.  A  dispatch 
received  here  by  Mrs.  Samuels,  says  her  youngest 
son  is  dying  at  home.  Thus  far  there  have  been  no 
signs  of  any  outbreak  or  disturbance,  although, 
several  hard  characters  appeared  on  the  train.  Dick 
Little  will  not  go  to  the  funeral,  but  remains  at 
liberty.  A  difficulty  was  met  here  in  getting  a  train 
to  Kearney,  and  we  will  probably  stay  here  all 
night. 

It  has  been  decided  at  last,  to  go  to  Kearney  to- 
night. The  party  could  not  get  a  special  train  over 
the  Hannibal.  One  was  kept  standing  all  day  by 
that  road  for  the  party,  but,  thinking  they  had 
abandoned  coming,  it  was  ordered  away.  W.  R. 
Woodland,  general  superintendent,  telegraphed  that 
13 


194        JESSE  J^MES  AND  HIS  'B<^ND 

it  was  impossible  to  send  a  train  till  morning,  as 
the  engines  were  all  working.  The  Rock  Island  fur- 
nished a  special  to  leave  here  at  midnight.  The 
funeral  takes  place  to-morrow,  from  the  Baptist 
church,  in  Kearney.  The  sermon  will  be  preached 
by  Rev.  Martin.  Mrs.  Samuels  is  afraid  that  the 
body  will  be  stolen.  A  relative  stands  guard  on 
the  box  all  the  time.  The  crowd  here  desired  that 
the  body  be  shown,  but  Mrs.  Samuels  objected, 
and  the  box  was  not  opened.  Mrs.  Samuels  desired 
President  Rothwell,  of  Liberty,  to  speak  at  the 
funeral.  He  will  probably  be  there.  Mrs.  Samuels 
desires  Preacher  Williams  to  preach  the  funeral 
sermon  but  don't  know  w^here  to  find  him,  Will- 
iams baptized  Jesse  just  after  the  war. 

St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  April  5. — The  body  of  Jesse 
James  was  shipped  from  this  city  on  the  7  o'clock 
train  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Jo.  Railroad  this  even- 
ing, in  custody  of  Marshall  Craig,  of  this  city,  and 
the  family  of  the  dead  desperado,  consisting  of  L. 
W.  James,  cousin  of  Jesse;  R.  T.  Mimms,  the 
widow's  brother,  Mrs.  James,  Mrs.  Samuels,  and 
the  two  children.  It  will  be  taken  to  Kearney, 
Clay  County,  and  buried  on  the  James  homestead 
to-morrow.  There  has  been  considerable  of  a 
wrangle  over  the  remains,  between  H.  H.  Craig, 
the  police  commissioner  of  Kansas  City,  Sheriff 
Timberlake,  of  Clay  County,  and  the  local  authori- 
ties, who  insisted  upon  seeing  the  body  placed  in 
the  keeping  of   the  relatives  instead   of    being  sent 


COMMENTS  OF  THE  PRESS  195 

to  Kansas  City.  The  body  was  officially  turned 
over  to  Mrs.  James,  by  Coroner  Heddens,  this  after- 
noon, on  an  order  from  the  grand  jury  of  Buchanan 
County  and  the  dispatch  of  Gov.  Crittenden.  The 
jam  on  the  depot  platform  this  evening  as  the  rela- 
tives stepped  from  their  conveyances  to  take  the 
train  was  tremendous.  Mrs.  Samuels  was  the  most 
conspicuous  personage  in  the  throng.  She  insist- 
ed on  having  an  official  report  from  the  train  at 
Kansas  City.  The  commission  sent  up  by  Gov. 
Crittenden,  including  Mattie  Collens,  Dick  Little's 
wife,  arrived  at  a  late  hour  last  night,  viewed  the 
remains,  and  identified  them  as  those  of  Jesse 
James.  The  Ford  boys  are  close  prisoners  at  the 
county  jail,  and  when  interviewed  this  morning, 
they  betrayed  a  nervous  anxiety  about  their  fate. 
Up  to  within  twelve  hours  ago  they  did  not  seem  to 
realize  the  gravity  of  their  situation,  but  to-day 
Robert  confessed  to  a  reporter  that  if  he  had  known 
that  he  would  have  been  thrown  into  a  dingy  cell 
he  would  not  have  killed  Jesse.  The  arms  and 
jewelry  found  in  the  outlaw's  home  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  police,  who  refused  to  surrender  them 
until  the  question  of  their  ownership  has  been  fully 
determined.  The  household  goods  will  be  sold  to 
the  highest  bidder. 

From  the  Chicago  Times,  April  4,   1882. 
The  killing  of  Jesse  James   rids    the    country    of 
one  of  the  boldest  and  most  dangerous  land-pirates 
who  ever  made  war  on    society.     He   and   his  gang 


196       JESSE  JAMES  ^0^  H/S  B^^ID 

may  have  not  done  all  the  iniquity  that  is  credited 
to  them;  their  reputation  doubtless  led  people  to 
attribute  to  them  some  deeds  done  by  others.  But 
no  crime  has  ever  been  laid  at  their  door  that  they 
would  not  have  cheerfully  committed  had  they  had 
the  chance.  The  James  brothers  and  the  Younger 
brothers  have  given  many  localities  in  the  state  of 
Missouri  a  reputation  that  casts  Hounslow  Heath 
in  the  shade;  and  Gadshill  and  Blue  Cut,  ?»nd 
some  other  equally  famous  localities  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten  by  so  much  of  the  public  as  ever  had 
occasion  to  travel  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  The 
introduction  of  the  railway  system  did  more  than 
inaugurate  a  new  method  of  transportation;  it 
introduced  several  new  professions,  and  not  the 
least  notable  of  these  is  that  of  the  train-robber. 
The  world  was  familiar  with  stage-coach  robberies 
at  the  time  the  railroad  was  inaugurated.  In  a 
secluded  region,  it  was  not  a  difficult  matter  to 
induce  the  driver  of  a  stage  to  halt  and  the  passen- 
gers to  divest  themselves  of  their  watches  and  money 
But  the  railway  train  appeared  to  be  a  contrivance 
for  travel  that  the  highwayman  could  not  deal  with. 
The  driver  of  a  locomotive  might  disregard  with 
impunity,  the  summons  of  the  masked  gentlemen, 
and  a  train  of  cars  could  certainly  make  better^ 
time  than  even  the  horse  whose  fleetness  enabled 
Dick  Turpin  to  prove  an  alibi.  For  a  while,  the 
road-agents,  as  they  were  euphemistically  called, 
looked  with   dismay  on  the  substitution    of  steam 


COMMENTS  OF  THE  TRESS  197 

for  horse-flesh,  as  a  motive  power,  but  in  the  course 
of  time,  they  learned  that  a  railway  train  could  be 
robbed  as  easily  as  a  stage-coach.  The  robbers  had 
only  to  obstruct  the  track  in  a  desolate  locality,  or 
to  embark  in  the  train  as  passengers,  and  rob  the 
occupants  of  the  cars  en  route,  then  compel  the 
engineer  to  stop  and  let  them  off  at  some  conven- 
ient place  not  down  on  the  schedule  as  even  so 
much  as  a  flag-station,  and  the  whole  thing  could 
be  done  with  neatness  and  dispatch,  and  also  with 
entire  success.  In  fact,  the  facility  with  which 
the  artists  in  this  line  of  business  have  done  their 
work,  creates  some  surprise  that  more  brigands 
were  not  drawn  into  the  profession  of  train-robbing. 
Though  the  thing  has  been  essayed  once  or  twice 
elsewhere,  it  was  confined  as  a  regular  business  to 
the  state  of  Missouri,  and  there  was  growing  up  in 
the  country  at  large  a  conviction  that  no  small 
part  of  the  population  of  Missouri  must  be  in  league 
with  the  train-robbers.  It  certainly  does  look  as 
though  the  local  authorities  were  not  as  efficient  as 
they  might  have  been,  in  the  detection  of  the 
rascals,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  train- 
robbers  were  numerous,  or  were  believed  to  be  so, 
and  they  had  no  scruples  about  making  themselves 
disagreeable  to  persons  who  seemed  unfriendly. 
No  man  cared  to  make  himself  the  target  for  the 
rifles  of  the  James  brothers,  or  to  invite  the  destruc- 
tion of  his  house  and  barn,  by  refusing  them 
shelter,  or  giving  information  of  their  whereabouts 


198        JESSE  f<^MES  AND  HIS  'B<^ND 

to  the  officers  of  the  law.  And  so  Jesse  James 
was  able  to  live  In  St.  Joseph  all  winter,  and 
might  have  been  robbing  another  train  last  night, 
had  he  not,  in  a  moment  of  weakness,  indulged  in 
the  ceremonies  of  ablution.  Any  person  who  has 
tried  it,  knows  how  inconvenient  it  is  to  take  a  bath 
with  a  half  a  dozen  large  revolvers  buckled  around 
his  waist.  The  late  Mr.  James  was  incautious 
enough  to  lay  aside  his  choice  collection  of  firearms. 
That  was  the  moment  that  two  spies  had  long 
been  looking  for.  It  was  not  attempted  to  arrest 
him.  Mr,  James  was  believed  to  have  stated  that 
he  would  not  be  taken  alive,  and  the  belief  was 
universal  in  Missouri  that  he  would  have  to  be  re- 
duced to  the  condition  of  a  corpse  before  it  would 
be  practicable  to  serve  a  warrant  on  him.  No  ex- 
periments were  tried.  One  of  the  detectives,  whom 
he  supposed  to  be  his  apprentice,  crept  up  behind 
him,  and  put  a  -bullet  in  his  brain.  Jesse  James 
was  effectually  arrested.  The  end  was  in  perfect 
accord  with  his  career,  and  he  would  undoubtedly 
have  preferred  dying  as  he  did  to  being  hanged, 
and  the  traveling  public  feels  a  good  deal  safer  now 
than  it  would  if  Jesse  James  was  merely  in  jail, 
awaiting  trial.  Ford's  method  of  arrest  was  a  little 
irregular,  but  his  reputation  was  such,  that  no  man 
Gould  have  been  expected  to  attempt  his  arrest  by 
any  other  means  than  the  revolver. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

TRIAL     OF     THE     FORD     BROTHERS — CONVICTED     OF     THE 
MURDER SENTENCED  TO    BE  HANGED INDIFFER- 
ENCE  OF  THE     CONVICTED PARDONED    BY  GOV. 

CRITTENDEN-^ROBERT  FORD  ARRESTED  FOR 

KILLING     WOOD     KITE — FRANK     JAMES 

SURRENDERS    TO    GOV.     CRITTEN^- 

DEN-— THE     LAST    OF    JESSE 

JAMES SIC    TRANSIT 

GLORIA  MUNDI 

Charles  and  Robert  Ford  were  arraigned  before 
Judge  Sherman  at  St.  Joseph  on  Monday,  the  17th 
of  April,  and  both  prisoners  pleaded  guilty  to  the 
indictment,  unhesitatingly  and  promptly. 

No  attempt  was  made  by  them  to  enter  a  defense. 
They  acknowledged  the  killing  and  pleaded 
"guilty"   in  a  most  unconcerned  manner. 

Recovering  from  the  surprise  excited  by  the 
nonchalance  of  the  prisoners.  Judge  Sherman  asked 
them  if  they  had  anything  to  say  why  sentence 
should  not  be  passed  upon  them. 

"Nothing,"  was  the  unconcerned  reply. 

The  Judge  then  passed  sentence  of  death  upon 
them,  fixing  the  date  when  they  were  to  be  hanged, 
at  May  9th,  1882. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  April,  an  uncon- 
ditional pardon  was  granted    both  the    Ford    boys 

199 


FRANK  JAMES  SURRENDERS 

by  Gov.  Thomas  T.  Crittendeiij  and  Sheriff  Thomas 
at  once  liberated  them,  but  Robert's  liberty  was 
cut  short,  and  he  became  very  much  agitated  when 
Sheriff  Trigg  of  Bay  County,  placed  his  hands  on 
his  shoulders,  and  said: 

"You  are  my  prisoner,"  and  arrested  him  for 
complicity  in  the  murder  of  Wood  Hite,  whose 
body  was  found  a  week  previous  in  an  old  well  on 
the  Ford  farm. 

Charlie  Ford  went  free. 

After  the  trial  of  the  Ford  brothers,  Jesse  James' 
armory  was  handed  over  to  Mrs.  James.  The  value 
of  the  guns,  weapons  and  knives  exceeded  $700. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1882,  Frank  James  en- 
tered the  office  of  Gov.  Crittenden,  in  Jefferson 
City. 

Walking  up  to  the  governor,  he  surrendered  him- 
self, and  unbuckling  his  pistol  belt,  laid  it  and  the 
revolvers  on  the  table,  remarking: 

"No  living  man  but  me  has  had  his  hands  on  these 
revolvers  since  1861. 

This  bit  of  drama  was  the  culmination  of  a  cor- 
respondence between  Frank  James  and  the  Governor. 

The  outlaw,  tired  and  weary  of  his  passionate 
life,  rapidly  nearing  the  grave,  hurried  on  by  the 
dread  consumption;  anxious  to  end  his  days  free 
from  apprehension  of  arrest  or  a  violent  death, 
voluntarily  gave  himself  up.  He  was  taken  to  Inde- 
pendence the  next  day  and  delivered  into  the 
projjer  hands,  to  await  his  trial. 


JESSE  JAMES  AND  HIS  "B^ND  ^oi 

Sentenced  for  life,  he  was  afterwards  pardoned 
out,  as  the  deadly  consumption  was  claiming  him 
for  a  victim,  and  mercy  tempted  justice,  so  that 
he  could  end  his  days  with  his  family. 

The  Jesse  James  band  of  outlaws  is  no  more. 
The  desperadoes  are  scattered,  death  has  claimed 
many,  the  prison  guards  many  more,  and  the  few 
that  remain  are  cautioned  to  depart  from  their 
wickedness,  and  live  law-abiding  lives. 

Ou  a  monument  of  red  granite,  which  rears  its 
shaft  fourteen  feet  above  the  grave  is  chiseled  the 
following  inscription: 

My  Husband — Our  Father. 
Jesse  James, 

DIED 

April  2. — 1882. 

Age, 

34  years,  6  months,  8  days. 


COLE  younger' S   TRIBUTE 

When  Cole  Younger  was  told  by  one  of  the  assist- 
ant wardens  of  the  Stillwater  Penitentiary,  that  Jesse 
James  had  been  shot  and  killed,  he  was  very  much 
affected.  After  a  few  moment's  reflection  he  voiced 
the  following  remarkable  panegyric  over  the  death 
of  his  old  leader: 

"So  he  is  dead!  Dead  by  the  pistol  I  He  died 
with    his   boots  on.     It  is  what  he  wished  for.     It 


202  COLE  YOUNGER' S  T%IBUTE 

is  the  death  he  would  have  chosen,  though  not  by  a 
traitor's  hand. 

"Jesse  James  was  a  brave  man,  he  had  no  acquaint- 
ance with  fear,  and  did  not  know  the  meaning  of  the 
word  afraid.  To  his  friends  he  was  loyalty  itself.. 
In  their  cause  he  held  his  life  as  nothing.  The 
bravest,  boldest  deeds  of  his  life  were  performed 
for  friendship's  sake.  He  was  the  first  to  lead  into 
danger,  and  the  last  to  leave.  Jesse  James  was  a 
white  man  and  clear  grit,  and  never  went  back  on 
his  friends.  But  to  his  foes  he  was  Satan  himself. 
Fair  means  or  foul,  he  arrived  at  his  revenge.  No 
danger  was  too  great,  no  hardship  too  severe,  and 
no  place  too  saCred  for  him  when  after  one  whom 
he  regarded  as  an  enemy.  Toward  such  he  was 
merciless,  cruel,  treacherous,  and  crafty;  for  days 
or  months  or  years,  he  would  wait  or  follow,  but 
never  forgiving  or  forgetting,  he  would  bide  his 
time,  and  when  that  time  came  he  struck,  and 
when  he  struck,  he  killed. 

"He  was  a  wonderful  man,  was  Jesse  James,  and 
the  boys  who  made  up  his  gang  would  lay  down 
their  lives  for  him.  There  was  something  about 
him  that  inspired  the  blindest  fealty.  He  was  a  born 
commander,  a  genius  in  controlling  men.  When 
we  were  with  Quantrell,  there  was  always  a  strug- 
gle to  get  into  Jesse's  squad,  and  he  was  but  a  lad. 
But,  young    as    he    was,  he    could  shoot,  ride  and 


COLE  YOUNGER'S  TRIBUTE 


203 


fight  better    than  any  man  in  the  command,  and  he 
was  always  successful. 

"He  loved  his    family^  and    they    idolized    him. 
Many  a  time  has  he  ridden  over  a    hundred    miles 
through  the  enemy's  lines,  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  Union  troops,  who  were  on  the  lookout  for   any 
of    QuantrelTs   gray-coats,  just    to    have  an    hour's 
chat  with  his  mother.     After    he    was    married,  he 
would  spend  v/hole    weeks    at    his    home,  playing 
with  his  children,  happy  as  a  lord.     But  in  spite  of 
all  that,  he  w^as  a  terrible  man,  and  nov/ he  is  dead. 
He    was    bound    to    be  killed  that  way,  for  he  Vv^as 
too  bold — so  bold    that    he    v/as    careless.     It  is  a   ,,.s«^^r 
shame  that  he  was  killed  by  one  of    hi"s   ow^n    men.  flB^ 
He    wanted    to    be    shot    to  death,  but  not  by  the , 
traitor's  hand.      It's  too  bad." 


A  LITERAKY  GEM.4 

Mademoiselle  de  Maiipin, 

A  ROMANCE  OF  LOVE  AND  PASSION. 
By   THEOPHILE   GAUTIER 


f2fno/413  pages.    Paper  coveps.  itlustpated  with  16 

Half-tones  from  the  original  etchings 

by  Toudouza 


"Gautier  Is  an  tiiimttaUe  model  His  aunner  it  so  fi^  and  tme*  so  really  cm* 
adve,  his  fancy  so  alert,  his  taste  so  happy,  his  humor  86  genial,  itet  he  makes  ilrnskm 
almost  as  contagious  as  laoghter.**— Jiff  .  Henry  Jamet^ 


'HADEMOSSeLE  BE   mm%r  the  latest  product  of  tlie  pen  of 

'  Gautier,  is  considered  by  the  besA  critics  of  this  inimitable 

"^  his  mo  t  artistic,  v^tty  and  audacions  woik.    In  writing 

lovel,  Gantien  has  d!ipiayed  all  the  artistic  coloring  that 

nantic  gchool  of  literature  this  versatile  anthor  has 

iLE  I^E  GIAUPIN^  is  alive  with  the  characteristic  vigor 

4tus,»  «  Les  Jeunes—France,"  and  «  Poesies  db 

lER,**  his  earlier  work%  bat  is  more   delicate,  and 

^!e  cynicism  which  contrasts  so  deligfatfnlly  with  the 

atkles  on  every  page. 

marvel  of  beauty*  both  from  an  artistic  as  «eU  ei  a 
ipoiot 


i'^^^  ^        AT  Aa  BOOK  STORES  AND  NI^MS  STANDS  AMI  OH  AU. 
BAILROAO  TRAINS. 

^RD  &  LEE.  Publishers, 

GHICAQ^   HC^NOia 


